If you're longing for the emo days of Blue and Pinkerton then Raditude is not for you. Raditude fits more with Green. It's lighthearted (and at times satirical) faire. Weez should have released this album in the summer. It brings to mind rolling to the cineplex after a stop by Sonic listening to Q104 (R.I.P....Kansas City's "the number one hit music station!") at full volume in a beat-up pontiac with the windows down.
You'll find Beach Boy hooks and Slayer powerchords on this disc. There's no serious meditation here...just catchy songs that you won't easily eject from your brain. I'm not a big fan of "Can't Stop Partying" even though I catch the fact that it's a joke and slam on the britney/paris/simpson set. I actually like the Hindu Slumdog Millionaire vibe of "Love is the Answer" although I'm sure it's pageantry made some hardcore maladroit fans wretch in the backalley of some CBGB wannabe hangout in Deep Ellum.
Not sure what my favorite track is although I like the Brian Wilsonesque closer "I don't Want to Let You Go" which comes via River's solo album Alone II. On Alone II the demo version of this song actually follows River's cover of "Don't Worry Baby" so I think the Beach Boy's comparison is intentional. I know it's a juvenile Phil Spector rip-off but the wall of sound in "Trippin' Down the Freeway" is very appealing and I still can't get "I'm Your Daddy" out of my head.
The only disappointing thing about this album are the four bonus tracks that come with the iTunes pass. The bonus tracks on the Red Album were all good...better than many of the tracks on the actual album. These are typical mediocre bonus tracks and aren't worth the extra cash. Stick with the original album content.
So get over your urbanpoet hipster emo pose, let your guard down and enjoy some real power nerdrock.
