Rating: NN
Joel Plaskett’s first proper album with his Emergency band since 03’s Truthfully, Truthfully (05’s La De Da was arguably a one-man effort) is a sort of concept deal, hinging on a vague narrative about teenagers partying, dudes in a band who butt heads over a girl, and the slow destruction of breakups. Cool enough. Unfortunately, Plaskett seems to have taken the rawk ‘n’ roll! party! factor as an excuse to shoot his songwriting to shit. There’s room for a few silly waste-case couplets over the course of an album, but even the more sombre tracks here are trite – Rebecca Kraatz’s wistful spoken-word monologue on The Instrumental creates a jarring contrast to Plaskett’s throwaway lines. Gordie Johnson’s generically slick production doesn’t help matters. It wouldn’t be so bad if La De Da hadn’t been such a beautifully ragged, introspective effort – Plaskett’s capable of much better.
