Artist - Powerspace Album - The Kicks Of Passion Label - Fueled By Ramen Records
01. Prologue: Adam Beckett
02. Quarantine My Heart (Baby)
03. Powerspace Snap Bracelet
04. Right On, Right Now
05. Amplifire
06. Be Aggressive
07. This Is Not What You Had Planned
08. Dancing In The Future
09. Choose Your Own Adventure
10. It Smells Like Electricity In Here
11. I Met My Best Friend In Prague
12. Sleep, Everyone...
Alternative Press described Powerspace as “a cross between Paramore’s pop-punk smarts and Panic! At The Disco’s dance tendencies”. I have a strange feeling none of the aforementioned bands would enjoy being compared to each other in such a manner (but in this vein – they remind me more of a cross between The All-American Rejects and Hellogoodbye). I’ve always felt if you can describe one band’s style by listing other bands’ styles then the band you’re trying to describe isn’t anything terribly new or exciting. Thus, even before listing to the first track of The Kicks Of Passion I was very skeptical to say the least.
With all that said, I did by best to remain objective whilst listing to this album for the first time. However, after several plays I’m still not entirely sure what to make of Powerspace. I think I like them, but some of their songs seem as if they were written because they didn’t have enough material for a full record. For example, “Be Aggressive” seems to have been ripped out of 1985; it’s made up of entirely too many electronic effects. It’s boring, the chorus goes something like this: “Be-e be-e aggressive…”. The song feels rushed and under-produced in my opinion.
Despite my prior comments, the bright spots on this album definitely outweigh the flaws. The music is good and the band as a whole seems to be comprised of good musicians. “Right On, Right Now” is incredibly fun; for me it accurately depicts the trials and tribulations of being in a band. The vocal production on this track is wonderful; the harmonies blend perfectly with the melodies serving to take “Right On, Right Now” to the proverbial next level. In fact, the vocal production on this entire record is a step above most records I’ve listened to lately.
If you enjoy other Fueled By Ramen bands then you will certainly enjoy Powerspace. The Kicks Of Passion is ridiculously fun and full of music you could definitely put on your dance shoes for.
