Album Review: Scouting for Girls - Everybody Wants to Be on TV (3.5/5)

Fresh off their first #1 hit, "This Ain't a Love Song," a song now headed to US radio, Scouting for Girls released their second album, Everybody Wants to Be on TV, to some pretty wretched reviews. Here's what Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian had to say about it:

"The success of Scouting for Girls continues to baffle. There's nothing to distinguish them from the hundreds of pub bands cranking out the same jaunty guy-rock every night of the week, yet their first album went double platinum, and they're currently No 1 in the singles chart."

Well, Ms. Sullivan, isn't the fact that, as you said, their first album went double platinum and that their latest single hit #1 fairly distinguishing? One would think so. The BBC's review by Chris Roberts was even harsher:

"It is extraordinarily lame. Think of Keane and remove the grit. Or think of Daniel Powter, tripling the irritation factor. These boys have nothing to say and say it in a manner that’s somehow both bland and offensive."

Yikes. Bottom line: Scouting for Girls isn't going to win a Mercury Music Prize anytime soon, but that doesn't mean they aren't cranking out some pretty enjoyable MOR pop/rock. Their music is lively, catchy, upbeat and fun. In short, it's a critic's nightmare, but it's a pop music fan's delight. When you're walking home from work after a skull-grinding day, isn't it kind of delightful to get a little pep in your step while listening to Roy Stride sing "And I'm a little bit lost without you, I'm a bloody big mess inside?" That's the pre-chorus hook from the Keane-ish piano-backed hit "This Ain't a Love Song?" It's rather British too, since Americans never say "bloody" unless it's in reference to a paper cut, a murder or open-heart surgery.

And so goes the rest of the album, which has the gall to stick auto-tune, the savior of American hip-hop, into the Maroon 5-ish "Little Miss Naughty." "Good Time Girl" is pretty similar--lively, minor-key melody with guitar and piano.

"Famous" returns to major-key melodies with a good dose of '80s-style synthesizer melody. It name checks Audrey Hepburn and Bette Davis--signs that the band has done their homework and looked beyond the likes of Katherine Heigl and Angelina Jolie (I guess those are the types of actresses straight guys go for these days, I wouldn't really know). Despite its title, "Silly Song" is a slower, more earnest love song.

At just 10 tracks, the album is fairly short by today's standards. The second half offers up upbeat guitar-driven "On the Radio," (sadly not a Martine McCutcheon or Nelly Furtado remake), strings-laden "Blue as Your Eyes," and "Posh Girls," which sounds vaguely like Arctic Monkeys for like 2 seconds during the opening. "1+1" is the album's most rockin' tune, pushing the bass-line right to the front, while closer "Take a Chance on Us" exudes enough layered grandeur to make a credible case for a future single.

I hope you enjoyed this review. If it seems wittier than usual, it's probably because it was written after having had 4 0z. of gin and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. But hey, Scouting for Girls got their start in pubs, so I guess that was an appropriate way to enjoy them. I certainly had fun.

Best: This Ain't a Love Song, Little Miss Naughty, Famous, Silly Song, Take a Chance on Us