Mando Diao
Hurricane bar
Majesty/EMI
Considering the reputation these guys have for being total assholes, my initial impulse is to rip them apart completely. However, as tempting as that may sound, I'm going to try and stick to the moral high road and tell it like it is. Look - while Mando Diao is obviously nowhere near as good as they think they are, they really aren't all that bad either. "Hurricane bar" is simply a straight-up sophomore slump in just about every way. They've ditched most of the soul and garage-rock trend-chasing and delivered an album that's totally safe and unremarkable, not to mention about 15 minutes too long and desperately lacking in energy. It's pleasant and inoffensive enough that I wouldn't switch the channel if it came on the radio, but at the same time, it's definitely not worth spending money on.
- Avi Roig