Too Young to Fight It

Album Review

Despite all the buzz building around Recover circa 2004, frontman Dan Keyes wasn't happy and wanted to do something new. Thus, as Recover went on an indefinite hiatus, Keyes relocated to New York City and began Young Love. For this new project, he's traded in all the post-hardcore aggression of his former rock outfit for shiny shoes and a VIP pass to the hottest underground nightclubs in town. So basically, Young Love has joined the countless acts that think glossing up a song to dancing mode with shiny synths or pulsing beats automatically means that people will want to get down and dirty. Unfortunately, though, Young Love is about as faceless as any of these groups come; that VIP pass turned out to be a fake and all those bumpin' parties had already thinned out by the time Keyes' crew finally got past the bouncer.

Most everything on Too Young to Fight It is simply generic, somewhat danceable indie rock that feels forced half the time and just mediocre the other half. Tracks like "Discotech" and "Too Young to Fight It" — is that a Shakira beat in the latter? — want really bad to be those sexy and defiant songs of intoxicated grooves and random late-night adventure. But there's no edge, no real danger, and really, finishing your drink at the bar is just as appealing as actually getting out on the dancefloor. Elsewhere, other songs are content to be just light-footed numbers with subtle programming that only occasionally go anywhere; "Find a New Way" is practically a rewrite of Brandtson's "Nobody Dances Anymore" and "Tell Me" sounds completely out of place with its smooth R&B vibe. The more rock-oriented moments of cuts like "Take It or Leave It" and "Close Your Eyes" show where Keyes' true strength lies — and that's not in the club scene. Once this album is forgotten after a few spins, let's hope his attention turns back, if not to Recover, then to something new altogether.