RULES-The Whitest Boy Alive

Rules-
The Whitest Boy Alive
Label-Bubbles
Status-Out as of 2009
Rating-2.5 Feathers

Formed in Berlin as an electronic dance group in Germany, The Whitest Boy alive are now classified by their simplistic combination of a minimalist guitars and drums, with a thick bassline. Since their creation, they have released the very well received ‘Dreams’, and are now back with the follow up entitled ‘Rules’. Starting with ‘Keep a Secret’, you can tell just how basic they are. It’s a nice opening, and the ambient feel gives it a nice flair. The way he pronounces ‘can you keep a secret?’ is pretty interesting also. ‘Intentions’ is a little more subdued than the last song, but I’m not saying that the last song was upbeat or anything. The synthesizer is very, very reminiscent of ‘Fly Like an Eagle’, which is ok, just not really my taste. ‘Courage’ is a pleasant song, but it is more powerful than the previous song. The bass line is so clear which really helps the song a lot. ‘Timebomb’ immediately sucks you in with a combination of random chord bursts and a thick bass line. It really creates a nice groove. Though he says ‘it’s a rollercoaster ride of emotion’, ‘Rollercoaster Ride’ fails to bring you to the emotional state that he promised. It’s actually pretty bland. Though very simple, ‘High on the Heels’ has a weirdly danceable vibe, and I quite like it. The vocals are paced a little quicker than the others, and it really helped. ‘1517’ is simply refreshing. It’s not refreshing like ‘they are sooo innovative’, it just gives you a refreshed feel, similar to how you feel after drinking a cold iced tea. The song has a very nice feel and the structure very well done. ‘Gravity’ is pretty boring. I must admit, it kind of just drags on. The only good part of it is when he goes ‘How long can a cool cat keep its calm?’ It made me laugh. As expected by this point, the chorus in ‘Promise Less or Do More’ sounds way too much like the majority of the album. The verses and the solo, however, are very well done and give you a little hope for the rest the album. ‘Dead End’ fulfills that hope. It’s my favorite, and possibly the best song on the album. The bass is absolutely brilliant, and the song just goes so nicely. ‘Island’ sounds, again, like the rest of everything previously heard. The little dings sound very out of place. The bit at 3:45 sounds very much like ‘Burning’ from Dreams, which was a great little touch, but a little surprising. As you can see, this album was a little disappointing. I like them a lot, but this had an extreme amount of repetitive redundancy and it was really very boring. They are pretty cool cats with a lot of potential, but they need to add a little something that keep you from forgetting you are listening to something. The bassline throughout is honestly the only thing that kept me motivated to listen. I really believe that there is better to come from The Whitest Boy Alive.

“In case your record dealer doesn't know what you are talking about when you ask for "Rules," just tell him it's out now and that he can order it.”-Marcin Öz

Recommendations: High on the Heels, 1517, Dead End
The Whitest Boy Alive's Official Website
Note: I'm very sorry for my lack of reviews, and I'm trying. Three Friday Things in a row is not good. Atleast this album album came out last month, let alone this year. Thank you Ian France over at Danish Poet for the review idea. I hope you enjoy and I accept any comments and requests!