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Review: A Great Big World ''Is There Anybody...''

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A Great Big World
“Is There Anybody Out There?”
***1/2


A Great Big World got a great big break late last year when their ballad “Say Something” was heard everywhere from singing competitions to fashion shows, not to mention heavy radio play alongside the top EDM hits, further a much-needed diversity in modern pop radio. The duo consists of NYU alumni Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino, the former of which has had a moderately successful solo career, backed by session musicians. They follow in the line of piano rockers like Ben Folds and Randy Newman, with punchy, piano-driven pop-rock and charming lyrics. Their debut LP, Is There Anybody Out There?, shows off their capabilities, but they seem to still be working out the bugs.
At best, Axel and Vaccarino are capable of writing clever lyrics about things that haven’t much been written before: the cute, almost childlike, opener “Rockstar” sings of youngers who dance in their living rooms or sing in their cars with aspirations of going pro (in other words, me from ages 3 to 17), a sign that these two are music lovers at heart; the excellent second single, “This Is The New Year,” is very much a product of it’s time: a fast-paced, shout-along indie anthem about emotional 20somethings just looking for love, and “Everyone Is Gay,” which sounds right out of Avenue Q, with hilarious, as well as very insightful, lyrics set to a bouncy pop-rock tune.
At their weakest, they’re guilty of the biggest peeves of commercial pop, specifically broadness and repetition. “You’ll Be Okay” has a strong gospel tune, but the singers’ mediocre voices have nowhere near the capacity to give any weight to the vaguely inspirational lyrics. They make it up with the bayou-stompin’ “Shorty Don’t Wait,” helped by an actual gospel chorus.
It should be noted that the version of “Say Something” that’s getting heavy airplay is an alternative recording with Christina Agulera singing a gorgeous harmony that robs what is meant to be a breakup song of purpose. The better album version with Axel singing a mournful solo falls somewhere in-between the band’s strength’s and weaknesses: the chorus suffers from the accursed “four chords of pop” that have plagued what seems like every single hit song from the decade thus far, while it’s lyrics are literal enough to have personality, but broad enough to be relatable. Similar is “Already Home,” which seems to be Lonestar’s “I’m Already There” with everything about it that sucks taken out.
And speaking of jock music, in addition to mismatched gospel influence, there’s also the attempted party song “I Really Want It.” As of writing this, I can’t be certain if it’s irony is deliberate or they don’t realize that a party song is meant to command people to party rather than simply imply it (never mind that it’s clearly a rewrite of “Video Killed The Radio Star”). Nevertheless, none of the songs are a chore to listen to, and Axel & Vaccarino are in such high spirits on the better tracks that it’s hard not to want to be happy with them.
A Great Big World are musicians that you’d like to have around. If nothing else, these guys might find luck as songwriters for other acts, but Is There Anybody Out There? shows their potential as writers and performers of quirky, highly enjoyable pop rock with a personality. They just have to do more than just say something about it!
"...Out There?"

Stupid DeviantArt and their limited titles....

I listened to the preview of an album I've really been looking forward to, A Great Big World's Is There Anybody Out There? and really wanted to share my thoughts. I'm enjoying these occasional reviews, I may find it in me to do them more often!
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