Boys Like Girls
Crazy World
Columbia Records
Producer: Martin Johnson
Score: 8 out of 10
Crazy World is Boys Like Girls’ first release since their short hiatus, which began in February 2011. The album is peppered with a number of angst-heavy songs counterbalanced with a fair offering of more upbeat, lighthearted tunes that have the potential to incite arena sing-alongs. Standouts include “Life Of The Party,” a jaunty ditty sounding not unlike Paul Simon. “Leaving California” launches with a contemplative, nearly melancholy piano riff but overall manages to avoid darker, more downcast waters. Crazy World starts and ends with the more sanguine songs framing the dirge-like material that tends to weigh down the middle.
By Rob Putnam
