Localized Vices I Admire

Denver band Vices I Admire sticks largely to meat-and-potatoes alt-rock on its latest release, The Politics Of Apathy, adding tiny dashes of equally fundamental funk rock to keep the record from getting stale. The formula won’t win the band any contests in creativity, nor will it earn style points. What Apathy lacks in flash, though, it makes up in durability: Vices I Admire settles right into the easily digestible world of basic guitar rock.

With a what-you-see-is-what-you-get approach reminiscent of Foo Fighters, Vices is all big guitars, big melodies, and small ambition. But the band can’t be at fault for a lack of drive; it works to its advantage. “Heartbreaker” knows the difference between a riff and a hook, and, better yet, knows how to put the two together for a four-on-the-floor rock anthem. “Kiss Kiss” and “Monster” ramp up the sort of guitar solos we haven’t seen since the spandex years—but tastefully place them into a modern rock context, rather than atrocious revivalist glam-metal—while "Go The Spoils" turns the act’s attention toward a contemporary twist on the power ballad.

Even if Vices I Admire rests on the musical bedrock that’s been hard rock radio’s foundation for three decades, The Politics Of Apathy finds its own space in that overcrowded world. Sure, saving rock 'n' roll, planning the sounds of the future, and staking pop music’s claim as a legitimate art form are all noble callings—but somebody has to keep it on the straight and narrow. Grade: B-