Orson
Culture Vultures

THE REVIEW

Famous in the land of Albion but practically unknown in the United States, the Hollywood Orson face the trial by fire with their second album.

"Culture Vultures" follows the sparkling debut "Bright Idea", which has garnered some acclaim, allowing the band to win an award for "Best International Breakthrough Act" at the 2007 Brit Awards, as well as an appearance at the "Concert For Diana" last July 1st, and a series of dates as supporting act for Duran Duran and Robbie Williams.

The band's sudden success (not exactly newcomers, with seven years of experience and three name changes behind them) is certainly due to their effective pop rock formula, the result of well-blended influences and a meticulous attention to catchy choruses, which provided the band with more than one hit extracted from the previous album (some, like the sparkling "No Tomorrow" and "Happiness", work well even here with us).

Orson's music draws heavily from the best pop rock of the last thirty years without adding anything particular or innovative (at most a few keyboards here and there, or some falsetto from the talented vocalist Jason Pebworth), instead showcasing a healthy party attitude, well represented on this record by a dance rock gem like the first single "Ain't No Party" (containing some nods to Jimi Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic").

They don't miss a thing: in "Radio" and "The Contortionist", the guitars travel straight and "square" without any particular jolts, outlining compact and formally perfect melodies, strictly around three/four minutes long. Additionally, there are the stone-like reminiscences of "Little Miss Lost And Found" and the classic lighter-waving ballad "Where You Are Tonight", the carefree Strokes-style rocker "Broken Radio" (practically a "Last Nite" part two), and the inevitable, blatant self-citation ("Northern Girl" closely resembles the old "Bright Idea").

Add to the mix the funky flavor of "Cool Cops" and the more dulcet and danceable U2 of the closing "Everybody", and the job is done.

A work that doesn't claim to revolutionize anything, this is clear, but it certainly allows for forty light and carefree minutes, tapping your foot to the rhythm more than once.

However, to astonish, one needs to do something more.