Search - Gay :: You Know the Rules

Excellent & underappreciated POP!

Donkey Dick | Blubber Land | 07/22/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love pop music. I want hooks, I want melodies, and I want fun. I love it when a song gets stuck in my head, and I love it when I become so infatuated with a song that my only immediate goal in life is to simply hear it one more time.



"Critics," track 2 on The Gay's new record, is one of those songs. I first listened to "You Know the Rules" last night, and since then, I have been playing "Critics" at least once an hour. When I'm not listening to it, it's embedded in my brain.



And that's what strikes me so profoundly about The Gay: they know pop music. "You Know the Rules" isn't soured by a single bad track, never wallows in experimental pop excess, and stunningly, knows exactly what I want to hear. It may sound self-centered, but often when I listen to a record, many times I hear a melody or harmony in my head that I think would compliment a certain song, but unfortunately does not exist. The Gay never leave out a great harmony, always know how to supplement a melody, and can write hooks so catchy that you nearly go insane.



With a completely unique sound and firm grasp on what songwriting should be, The Gay are one the most exciting bands working right now, and "You Know the Rules" is one of the best albums of the year."