The Rentals
Lost in Alphaville
POLYVINYL
6/10
Lost in Alphaville is a tragic case of what could have been, which is disappointing considering the fifteen-year wait for the album. Matt Sharp’s lyrical whimsy and exploding synths are still here, but he chooses bombast over beauty. The album has its moments. Sharp’s voice melts into those of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig (of Lucius) in “Damaris,” as he declares “Oh, Damaris, won’t you come and put my mind at ease.” It sounds brilliantly passive-aggressive. “Irrational Things” builds with grace, the backing harmonies are pure pop-candy and a chamber arrangement soars into the pastel block of keyboard riffs as Sharp observes, “Sometimes, maybe once in your life, you won’t choose to, love will choose you.” It melts inside its own melodrama in a way perfected by the Wannadies. That’s the problem. The highlight of Lost in Alphaville would be filler in past Wannadies albums like Bagsy Me, Be a Girl, or Yeah!, and Sharp has done so much better. For the most part, the LP plods. “Thought of Sound” can’t shake itself to life despite excessive percussion and “The Future” knowingly gestures at being a song without actually delivering anything coherent, a problem that trips up Lost in Alphaville throughout.
