Romance

Grade:

C-

Every few years, a new style of music finds its home in the hearts of music fans worldwide. The current trend in popular music is the quirky, yet tortured, romantic.

Seldom conveys a light-heartedness with their unusual vocal styling and non-traditional beats. But underneath the fun lies a broken heart aching for relief.

The music industry sees the popularity of this new music and proceeds to run it into the ground. The sound then becomes homogenized and you can't tell one group from the other.

When successful, this music sends out the message that you are not alone in your sorrow. When it isn't successful, it sounds like Seldom.

Not that there is anything wrong with Romance. It is a nice, straightforward album that won't offend anybody. But that is also the album's problem; there is nothing to distinguish one song from the next. It's one thing to not take too many chances, but to take none at all is inexcusable.

With titles such as "Sexual Identity" and "Meteor Showers," you would think that the songs would have some individuality. But honestly, the art on the CD jacket has more variety than the music inside.

If you enjoy eating the same bland food every day, Romance may be an album you could get behind. But if you like a little spice in your life, Seldom will do nothing for you.