The Midway State — Holes

Teenaged girls: If you've worn out your Wave and Third Eye Blind CDs and you're in the market for a replacement, look no further. Holes begins with just the sort of cringe-worthy piano line you're used to and travels into even more recoiling lyrics: "Hey, you surround me like a blanket in my bed." That's about as cerebral as things get on this disc. At times, The Midway State are reminiscent of post-sell-out Snow Patrol, but their image quickly recedes from even that point. The title track is straight out of Flight Of The Conchords, but sadly, it's not meant to be comedic. When singer Nathan Ferraro hits his falsetto stride, it fundamentally paints this four-piece as a boy band with guitars. It's not all bad; they're at least consistent in their sappiness. This is probably near the top of the heap. But you can do so much better, girls.

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