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AllMusic Review of The Trolleyvox Present The Karaoke Meltdo

J. Moran | Philadelphia | 11/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"AllMusic Review

The Trolleyvox Present The Karaoke Meltdowns

Review - 4.5 of 5 Stars

by Stewart Mason



The third album by the Philadelphia's the Trolleyvox (now basically down to singer Beth Filla and guitarist-songwriter Andrew Chalfen, plus a rotating cast of guests) is a huge leap beyond their already impressive earlier work. The album kicks off with the impassioned call to arms "Just You Wait," a textbook example of how to write a politically-charged pop song without preachy name-calling. The urgency of that two-minute opening blast seems to energize the rest of the album, because unlike the relatively mellow jangle pop of 2003's Leap of Folly, The Trolleyvox Present the Karaoke Meltdowns has a full-on rock and roll kick even on mid-tempo tracks like the harmony-heavy "I Know That You're High." Even the handful of acoustic tunes, including the lovely "Deep Blue Central" (which makes surprisingly effective use of a field recording of a horse and carriage for its rhythm track), sound more direct and engaged. Matching a uniformly excellent set of tunes to Filla's alluring vocals -- as always, she's the best thing about the band -- The Trolleyvox Present the Karaoke Meltdowns is the sound of a group ready to make an impact beyond the tiny power pop scene. It might work, too: the not-at-all-subtle get out the vote video for "Just You Wait" was a YouTube favorite passed around the left-leaning blogs just prior to the 2006 mid-term elections.



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