Feel No Fade

Sounding for all the world like the kind of slickly commercial alternative pop which candy-coats the soundtracks of the teen dramas populating the WB network schedule, Feel No Fade is either a note-perfect satire of contemporary rock or a nakedly ambitious attempt for enshrinement in the VH1 pantheon of faceless superstars. Take your pick: on the one hand, the Push Kings' indie pop pedigree is respectable enough, and Feel No Fade arrives on the fine Le Grand Magistery label, but everything else about the record screams sellout -- the melodic charms of the band's previous efforts remain intact here, but the songs are absurdly over-produced, and the lyrics are almost defiantly vapid. At most a guilty pleasure best suited for summer listening, its early-autumn release date only makes the cumulative effect that much more pathetic -- unless Feel No Fade finds its way to Katie Holmes' beatbox, there's no way anyone will even remember this fluff by the time next summer comes around.