by Billy Pinson
Daily Lobo
Nowhere Man's lead singer Vikas wants you to know he is still in love.
He is so adamant about it, he tells listeners close to 50 times on the opening track of the band's debut album Love Asphyxia.
The song, aptly titled "Still in Love," drones on with an unimaginative riff and repetitive lyrics for what seems like epic length.
Fortunately, Love Asphyxia does get better, but its tired formula keeps it from clicking as an album.
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Members of Nowhere Man come out of the vibrant and diverse Tucson, Ariz., music scene but never really take any risks. They stay close to the tried-and-true guitar-pop formula made popular in the late '90s by bands such as Fastball and the Barenaked Ladies.
The song "Harvey Wallbanger" seems like it was ripped right out of one of the aforementioned bands' catalogues, with a bouncy guitar hook and honest lyrics about heartache and loss.
Nowhere Man's sound seems to be about six or seven years behind the times, with bands such as Maroon 5 providing the cheesy love songs now and doing it with more flair.
The only time Nowhere Man sounds fresh is when it breaks out of the three-minute, guitar-pop formula, such as in the synth-driven "(expletive) Glitter." Reminiscent of fellow Southwest contemporaries The Killers, this song sounds like something true and original, instead of like a late '90s pop knockoff.
"Month of Mondays" is the best song on Love Asphyxia. The band breaks out the tape effects and backmasking for this one, and it makes for the most original song on the album. Nowhere Man seems at ease and comfortable when it isn't trying to be disciplined and confined to a perfect pop structure.
There is even a triumphant Eric Johnson-like guitar solo thrown in for good measure. The song doesn't venture far from its guitar-based sound, but it inserts a coat of shimmering psychedelia that adds a ton of atmosphere.
After the high point of "Month of Mondays," the band stomps out its remaining credibility with "The Pretenders," a not-so-subtle jab at the host of bands like Interpol and The Hives who wear their influences on their sleeve.
Vikas claims everywhere he looks he sees the Rolling Stones, and this is not some retro kick. It's a bold claim coming from a band of such mind-numbing unoriginality.
A band can be guilty of worse than aspiring to sound like Joy Division or the Velvet Underground, but the world needs another guitar-pop band like it needs a hole in its head. "The Pretenders" is the death knell of an uninspired and unoriginal album.
Love Asphyxia is not worth listeners' time or energy. Avoid it at all costs. Listen to The Hives instead.
Love Asphyxia
Nowhere Man
No Name Records
Grade: D+
