The Rentals - Seven More Minutes (1999)

The Rentals's debut "Return of the Rentals" and their recent EP "The Last Little Life" (2007) were nearly perfect as far as synth pop goes. They had personality and a great flair for this sort of happy-go-lucky pop, making it tuneful and well crafted. Unfortunately, this album is quite different. I have never really been able to get too into this one. For one thing, it sounds a bit too much like Weezer, with brooding, sometimes awkward (but not charmingly so) songs, such as "The Man With Two Brains," "Big Daddy C." and "The Cruise." Sometimes Matt Sharp sounds too monotone and, even depressed. Even when singing about being unhappy, on their debut, he sounded optimistic, as if he understood that his feelings were just a part of life. Here, he wallows. Two fantastic songs at the beginning of the record make this worth keeping. "Getting By" has an incredibly catchy synth melody, and "Hello, Hello" isn't half bad. And "Insomnia" is worth a listen if you like the band but haven't heard that particular experiment. mediafire