Osinner

Album Review

The fourth album by Florida-based power pop trio Bloom was delayed by the usual problems that bands on the fringes of the pop underground tend to have, but it's worth the wait. Osinner has more in common with Redd Kross' trashy, glammed-up vibe than the more polite likes of, say, Shoes. In particular, bassist Devin Moore and his lead guitarist brother Brendan Moore tend toward the same kind of bored drawl that the McDonald brothers perfected around the time of Neurotica, especially on the old-school big rock choruses of songs like "Black Eyeliner." Moreover, the brothers have a similarly evident fondness for the more garish side of '70s arena rock: the spiky boogie riffs and theatrical vocals of "Queen of the Underground" sound like what would have happened if Cheap Trick had covered a mid-period T. Rex song at Budokan, and bits of Sweet, Aladdin Sane-era David Bowie, and even Elton John crop up here and there. Overall, though, Bloom have enough pop suss of their own to keep Osinner from sounding like a mash-up of their various influences, making it a most enjoyable (if occasionally slightly derivative) listen.