PlayRadioPlay!: Texas Album Review
First Full-Length Album from Electropop MySpace Star Released
PlayRadioPlay! is the type of band that music elitist types scorn, teenagers adore and frankly, will probably end up PlayRadioPlayed! (had to) all over the radio. Dan Hunter’s stage name will likely prove a prophetic command to Clear Channel, but whether or not his first full-length, Texas, is a good album is a slightly foggier question. One we’ll explore here.
MySpace Stardom
Hunter’s back story is well-known to any of his rabid fan base, who number in tens of thousands on MySpace – a good place to start when talking about Hunter. With almost 11 million plays on the networking site, PlayRadioPlay! is one of the most-played artists on MySpace. The rehashed story of bands “making it big on the strength of an online following” wholly applies here. Put simply, he was an internet star long before he was close to signing a major record deal with Island.
Hunter released The Frequency E.P. in 2007, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Electronic album chart last year on the strength of what he does – electro-pop music with flawless harmonies and unquestionably teenage lyrics, which catches us up to the present.
Texas
On Texas, Hunter has expanded, polished, and shined up his act with the help of über-producer Jackknife Lee (U2, Snow Patrol). His brand of technofied pop has its roots planted deeply in Postal Service soil, minus Ben Gibbard’s penchant for writing questionably cheesy lyrics that come across sincere. Hunter writes questionably cheesy lyrics that come across cheesy. Luckily, they are shelled in addicting pop harmonies that just about manage to hide those faux pas.
The album, as a whole, is hard to deny as a piece of very, very good modern pop. The songs are there – there are few weak spots as far as the beats and harmonies go. Hunter has an undeniable gift for writing songs that immediately seize you. And it’s obvious that Lee’s production has pushed the songs to the next level.
PlayRadioPlay! -- Album Conclusions
There are moments of real brilliance here. The lead single, “Madi Don’t Leave” blends orchestral flourishes, bells, and a monstrous buildup to an instantly memorable chorus. But the writing holds the song back – a fairly glaring problem for someone who sings as earnestly as he does. In fact, Texas is often at its best when Hunter jettisons words altogether for humming, as he does on the chorus of “More of the Worst.”
On “Madi, Don’t Leave,” he sings: “I’ve got a hopeless crush/and maybe that don’t mean much to you/but I’m hoping this could keep growing.” And that’s all we can hope for – that this teenager (he’s still just a kid at 18) will continue to keep emerging musically. Not a bad start though.
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