During the 1980s, it was common for music to be over-the-top and clich?(c). However, what's worse is that the indulgent glam-rock that ruled the era is still very much alive in the present.
Clear Static is a glamour pop-rock group from the Hollywood suburbs. Their self-titled album, dropping May 2, suggests that makeup is still an important accessory for an all-male band.
The album would work well with the '80s cocaine revival scene, if there were such a thing. Since there isn't, however, this album is aimed at a mostly imaginary demographic -- not usually a good way to gain popularity album sales.
Their style is self-indulgent, similar to older alternative pop acts like The Cure and Depeche Mode with lyrics like, "A desperate pose and the way it shows/You were torn without your clothes/Your broken heart never came from me/Healing cuts are a mystery" from "New Year (1984)." However, Clear Static lacks the appeal that the original groups brought.
Still, the band is not a complete imitation; similar to their contradictory name, their sound is in fact uniquely fake. Many songs such as "Make-Up Sex" and "Sleep Late Sunday" take on such a pretentious air that they are laughable, mainly because they are almost comically trite. They're not just an imitation band; they are the '80s.
The fact that the band really does go out of their way to sound like a glam-rock band makes them easily mistakable for a band that might have met limited fame in 1987 after covering "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" by The Cure. Even though their style is similar to Tears for Fears and Duran Duran, Clear Static flounders in its genre.
This superficial quality has a sneaky way of deceiving the listener. Poor quality music can sometimes be passed off as decent under the premise that there is a deeply artistic reason behind the sub-par quality. Clear Static needs a few more years to season and replace their wardrobe. Eventually they may produce a more competent sound.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
