Paris Texas

Item: Like You Like An Arsonist
Author: Phil Nichols

Like You Like An Arsonist

(2004)

Reviewed by Phil Nichols

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label New Line RecordsDecapolisSeptember 2004

alternative rock pop punk power pop

Imagine you're watching a teen movie about a road trip. Four guys- tired of the daily grind of school- decide to hit the road for a crazy adventure (most likely complete with underage drinking, incessant partying, cliche pop-culture references, and the unavoidable juvenile humor). Now, imagine the soundtrack to that movie: a little bit of power-pop, some pop-punk, lots of catchy riffs, overproduced instrumentation. The music you were just imagining is what Paris Texas sounds like.

Paris Texas is a power-pop band that has a pretty heavy rock influence. They have been around for a little while, but until now virtually no one had heard of them. What brought about the sudden surge of popularity? One might assume that it is because they are innovative and doing something different, however, that person would be wrong. The more probable explanation is their recent signing to a multi-million dollar record label and going on tour with Jimmy Eat World.

A shrewd reader might note that New Line is that film company that has brought us such cinematic masterpieces as The Real Cancun, Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy. So why would a movie company of such high prestige want to start a record label? Most likely so that they could own the songs for use on their soundtracks.

Now that we have a better understanding of Paris Texas' label, let's take a look at their big debut, Like You Like An Arsonist. This album is exactly what its label wants it to be: catchy. Every song is full of vocal and instrumental hooks. When you listen to it, you can almost see some teens driving on the highway about to encounter some unexpected plot twist. As with most other major label releases, the songs are over-produced and the vocals are very loud. However, the album is not all bad: there is some interesting instrumentation occasionally and the songs practically beg to be played through the car stereo.

Essentially, if you look solely for accessibility in your music, then you will probably enjoy Like You Like An Arsonist and will most likely get a few spins out of it before you get tired of the album. However, if you are looking for something that has a lot of substance, you will probably want to avoid this record.

1.5/4