Take It to the Floor

Album Review

As the 2000s rolled on, the transformation of emo from the expression of intensely felt, ripped-from-the-throat feelings played by bands directly influenced by post-punk and hardcore to mall-friendly Day-Glo pop played by kids who look about as authentic as the "punks" on an old episode of Quincy did back in the '70s was made pretty much complete with the release of Cash Cash's Take It to the Floor album. The quartet of improbably young and innocent-looking young dudes has made what could be the definitive statement of airheaded, glittery, and content-free emo-pop. Filled with Auto-Tune vocals, old-school synths, singalong choruses, slick-as-oil vocal harmonies, and a healthy disregard for expressing any emotions beyond high-school romantic notions, the album sounds pretty much like the Archies would have sounded if they had hung out at Hot Topic instead of Pop Tate's Chocklit Shoppe, if they were familiar with the work of the Cars and Timbaland, and if they were produced by S*A*M & Sluggo instead of Jeff Barry. In other words, if you are expecting any kind of authenticity from Cash Cash, you'll be disappointed and possibly homicidal by the time the first song (the incredibly hooky "Breakout") is half over. On the other hand, if you want a quick and most likely short-lived blast of pop nonsense, the album is pretty brilliant — especially if you've ever sat around wondering what a mash-up of Jimmy Eat World (circa The Middle) and Daft Punk would sound like. As evidenced by the band's one perfect moment, "Party in Your Bedroom," it's awesome. The rest of the album doesn't quite measure up to that song, but it never falls too far away from the sweet spot of energy, melody, and slick silliness. Write them off as poseurs or lightweights and you are missing the point — Cash Cash are unabashedly pop and that's nothing to be ashamed of when you do it as well as they do here.