Release Date: January 30, 2007
Label: Island
Young Love is the new project from former punk front man Dan Keyes. And, it represents perhaps the epitome of the emo-dance genre. In fact, it could probably be replaced with recent albums by Cobra Starship and Panic At The Disco without anybody noticing (my recommendation: go with Cobra Starship). Like those releases, Young Love's provided us with a couple of great singles, one or two carefully placed surprises, and a heap of unremarkable filler.
Let's start with the high points. Both Discotech and (to an even greater degree) Find A New Way clearly tent pole the record. They're sterling examples of the emo-dance sound, all pulsing synths and tortured white boy yelps. More interesting, though, are Tragedy and Tell Me, the album's high points. Both are pulsing, somewhat experimental pop songs. And, they instantly sound more timeless than anything else on the record. Less successful are the title track and Take It Or Leave It, songs that aren't catchy or interesting enough to make a mark despite their punchy production. It's places like these that the album becomes quite disposable. It almost feels like the entire package should come printed with an expiration date.
Still, the emo-dance genre, although already tiresome, is at its core a fun, non-threatening entity. If you're looking to dance, you could do worse than this. The key is, you could also do so, so much better. Young Love urges his listeners to "find a new way to dance," yet throughout too much of Too Young To Fight It, all he's doing is giving us more of the same. B-
Key Tracks: Find A New Way, Tell Me, Tragedy
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