Nothing Is Static

Cleverly written in an emo pop sort of way, this album is clearly the product of twenty-something intellectual angst. Frontman and lyricist Glenn Rubenstein has a knack for writing down-to-earth, easily accessible lyrics. He sings about the various incarnations of failed love: breaking up, fighting, wanting, being left behind. His delivery — which is more spoken than sung — is easy to understand and follow. It's a good thing, too, because the instrumentation gets repetitive, and Christine Alexander's vocals are slightly anemic. Less raucous than punk and less cheerful than pop, Headboard could best be likened to a lite, PG-13 rated version of Limp Bizkit or 311. It sounds the best on tracks such as "Move On" or "See You Around," when a solid if uninspired guitar-driven melody backs up Rubenstein's husky sing-song and Alexander's pretty, nasal voice. Attempts to go with a harder rock edge ("Disappears") sound rather uncoordinated, while Headboard's stab at rap ("Sometimes") is best bypassed altogether. This is not a bad first album overall, though. It represents youthful, middle-class America in all its verbose, tormented, quasi-melodic glory. ~ L. Katz, Rovi