Subtropical Spin

Nothing Rhymes with Orange

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Polite Gothic(self-released)

One of the worst crimes a local band can commit is to sound "too local." After a listen to Nothing Rhymes with Orange's latest effort, Polite Gothic, it's clear the band doesn't need to be concerned about that particular offense. The album has more of a European (synths, dark lyrics, etc.) sound. Most notably, the lyrics sound as if they came from across the pond -- they read more like a poetry major's journal than the wall of a men's room. Check out this line from "Trainspotting": "Meet me for a bevy or a sweet Nescafé/We'll trip our way into a more exciting country/Then we'll go trainspotting/Trainspotting." Nothing more poetic than Nescafé.

As for the music backing the lyrics, the swells and fades are all there, and the production is quite slick. "Sell Out," with its resemblance to Stone Temple Pilots' "Sex Type Thing," is the most straight-up rock number. But NRWO uses so much reverb, it really makes you want to hear how great the band would sound without it -- like pulling the extra-large hoodie off a girl who may or may not be a hot babe. Maybe we'll have to wait for Nothing Rhymes with Orange to make its way onto an MTV Unplugged special to find out. -- Maggie-Margret