Those of you who were lucky enough to catch Neon Trees when they were in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for MTV World Stage 2011 at I-City in Shah Alam would know this better than anyone else – they’re not just a band, they’re not just musicians, they’re also awesome performers. By virtue of being awesome performers, we had high expectations for “Picture Show”.
Our take? Who cares if it’s already year end? Because summer stylin’ and vibin’ is still alive and kickin’ with Neon Trees’ “Picture Show”. What, you thought they were just going to stop at “Animals”?
Not a chance.
In fact, the first single that was released off the album is bursting at seams with energy:
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Like its title, “Everybody Talks” has definitely gotten everybody talking. And singing. And bobbing. And dancing, if they can’t help it. The song is perhaps one of the most uncomplicated poppy tunes you can squeeze out of the band – yet it’s catchy. Plus, how can you not hand it to Neon Trees for coming up with cute lyrics like these:
Hey sugar show me all your love,
All you’re giving me is friction.
Hey sugar what you gotta say?
It started with a whisper,
And that was when I kissed her,
And then she made my lips hurt.
I could hear the chitchat,
Take me to your love shack.
Mamas always gotta backtrack,
When everybody talks back.
Neon Trees hasn’t failed to explore marrying various types of sounds such as alternative rock with synths and pop. The next single off the album is testament to that. Introducing, “Lessons in Love”:
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Sure, the song is whole lot less energetic compared to “Everybody Talks”, but all is forgiven because we’re drawn to the layer of sounds that date back to the 80s in this. You can’t deny how the bass lines sticks with you after a few listens. We would know – we can still hear it in our heads.
Ah, we see what they’ve done there. Musiception, people.
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“Teenage Sounds”, however, is as the title would suggest – filled with teenage angst. Pretty sure it’s something most of us can relate to, no? “I’m tired of everybody trying to be a DJ. Yeah I can also pick my favorite songs and press play. I’m sick of people saying Rock n Roll is dead, learn how to play guitar and save yourself instead. To all the cool kids on my block, where’s the original thought, tell me?”
After listening to “Picture Show”, we’re aching to hear them live again! For now, we’re going to have this one on repeat because how can you say no to fresh sounds? Right?
“Picture Show” is out now at a music store near you so hurry on up and go grab yourself a copy. Alternatively, you could also purchase their album off iTunes here. For more information, visit Neon Trees’ official website. There are also a couple of live videos that we’d highly recommend for you to check out via their VEVO.
