Lostprophets: a rock critic's dream? If it's not the glossy pop production and so-hook-laden-you-could-fish-with-them songs, we can go the other way and ridicule their male model good looks, painstakingly straightened haircuts and clothing deals, and apparent desire to appear American to unknowing fans. Of course, here at Scene Point Blank we're above such polarities, opting for the neutral middle ground.
Liberation Transmission, a title that seems Refused-esque in its sociopolitical aspirations, is the third release from the Welsh heroes, who along with their countrymen Funeral for a Friend, have made a career out of imitating American rock acts. Compared to 2004's Start Something, the band have swapped the post-hardcore screamo-lite for a more new-wave type sound, with an 80's influence that echoes The Cure and even Duran Duran.
Liberation Transmission features musical whore Josh Freese on drums after the departure of founder member Mike Chiplin in mid-2005. Production duties were handled by Metallica supremo Bob Rock, and it is, of course, flawless. The guitars sound huge and varied, the drums pound and the vocal harmonies are exactly where you'd expect them to be. Lyrically, the band is less than stellar, though. "A Town Called Hypocrisy" features a rather uninspired breakdown of "la la la la la la"s, and "Can't Catch Tomorrow (Good Shoes Won't Save You This Time)" features an equally unimaginative "doo-doo do do" intro. While the band have never been deep lyricists, it often smacks of unoriginality - there's only so many times a whoa-laden chorus carries any effect.
Vocals often feature an overly sugary American sound reminiscent of Incubus, which seems a little forced given the band's British origins. Guitar riffs are bouncy and danceable, almost with a Franz Ferdinand feel if that band had swapped their Rickenbackers for Les Pauls. "Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)" is the song you've probably heard blasting from radio stations worldwide. With a chorus of "Standing on the rooftops / everybody scream your heart out", it's unclear what exactly the band are "liberating," but it's certainly attained the broadcast part. This is an anthem for the Myspace generation - powerful, epic yet lighthearted, and impressive-sounding while remaining essentially meaningless.
In effect, this summarizes the entire record. Lostprophets have become masters of the hook; writing a song that feels fist-in-the-air empowering, and yet remaining soulless and cold despite the band's best efforts to inject it with emotion. "Can't Catch Tomorrow (Good Shoes Won't Save You This Time)" is a standout; a bouncy pop song that showcases the band doing what they do best: writing three-part chorus harmonies that worm their way into your subconscious without your consent. The whole record doesn't feature enough redeeming moments like this, and the undeniably catchy "Rooftops", to make it deserving of the UK number 1 it reached, however.
While Internet 'critics' deride the band for their changes in sound and apparent focus on image, the real flaw in Lostprophet's music is the lack of soul to the proceedings. Liberation Transmission is a bold statement, a mature album by a band keen to show off what they can do. On paper it's a great record - it has the pop hooks the band expressed their desire for, it's well produced and features all the sing-alongs, whoaa-ohhs and dance beats that most typical teenage music fans desire, and has the kind of lyrics that were written to grace Myspace profiles, bad tattoos, and screennames worldwide. However, in practice it drags on for too long- at forty-eight minutes they begin to run out of steam towards the end - and sub par lyrics like "there's no destiny when everyone's your enemy" sound trite and uninspired. While the band get an A for effort, the actual output is only satisfactory.
