Young Giant

Queens Club have been described as a group whose leaders/founders went from playing metalcore to embracing a dance club-minded blend of alternative pop/rock and electronica; they've been called "electro-pop," "electro-rock," and "dance rock," but truth be told, most of Young Giant isn't nearly as electronica-sounding or as dance club-minded as some folks would have us believe. The metalcore part is definitely accurate; Queens Club was founded by singer/guitarist Dan Eaton and drummer Jake Ryan, two ex-members of the Christian metalcore band the Chariot. And it's also true that Queens Club don't sound anything at all like Eaton and Ryan's former band; no one will mistake Young Giant for metalcore. But one thing hasn't changed for Eaton and Ryan: they are still playing music that is very guitar-based most of the time. This 2010 release has some electronica influences in spots (most notably on "Danger Kids"), but there is no getting around the fact that this is an alternative pop/rock/indie rock album first and foremost — and that's a good thing because Queens Club have an attractive sound that draws on influences ranging from Jane's Addiction to U2 to the Fixx (with hints of punk). The lead vocals show an obvious awareness of Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, and U2's influence asserts itself in terms of both the melodies and the guitar playing (the Edge's influence is all over tracks like "Family Ties" and "An Apparition"). Young Giant is slightly uneven, but the worthwhile tracks clearly outnumber the tracks that don't work as well. Anyone who expects Young Giant to have either a consistently industrialized sound or an electro-clash sound along the lines of, say, Peaches, will be disappointed because that that isn't the album's orientation — even if some individuals are calling it "electro-pop," "electro-rock," or "dance rock." Queens Club are very much an alternative pop/rock/indie rock band — and that approach yields generally likable, if imperfect, results for them on Young Giant.