In the time since pitching and being assigned this album, there have been very negative developments across the board in my life, and in the lives of my immediate family. I am not mentioning this because I want your attention and sympathy. I bring this up because this record by U.S.E. is an aggressively joyful and optimistic set of songs, and very much the sort of thing where someone might say, "It's impossible not to feel happy while listening to this music!" Well, let me tell you: Even though the band is doing everything they can to push my glee buttons, it has not been working.
I don't think that it is entirely their fault. The band, who wisely shortened their name from the rather unwieldy United State of Electronica in the five years since the release of their debut album, specialize in evoking delirious bliss and positive vibes by melding the style of post-Daft Punk house music, twee indie rock, and a sort of "Sesame Street"-esque funk. Their formula can produce some truly outstanding and uplifting tracks-- "Emerald City" and "La Discoteca" from their debut, "All the World" and "River of Love" on this album-- but the catch is, you have to already be in an upbeat mood to appreciate the full effect of the music. This is not music of solace and comfort, this is the sound of exalting in triumph and good fortune. It's what you listen to when you know you've got it good, and you want to high-five the universe. From a depressed perspective, it seems hollow and nearly smug, like a person who sees you in a bad state and condescends to tell you, "Hey guy! Cheer up!" without addressing or even respecting your reasons to be upset. They mean well, sure, but it can be aggravating.
LOVEWORLD is an album overflowing with sweetness and joy, but it is rather short on depth. This is fair enough-- U.S.E. are a party band, and this is bright, shiny, wholesome party music. The lyrics are mostly concerned with flirting, love, and utopian fantasies, and the tone of the music ranges from serotonin-blasting anthems to sleek, vocoder-heavy disco groovers. The songs are unapologetically corny, and for the most part, the band's craft and total commitment to their concept results in earnest pop that skillfully avoids a cringe-inducing vapidity. When they fail to hit that balance, though, the results are painful, as in the gratingly goofy robo-funk of "Party People", or the overly syrupy "Helping Hand".
Though U.S.E. are about as sugary as it gets, the majority of LOVEWORLD is more mellow and gentle than their debut, which rarely let up from its relentless bombast. They've learned to let their songs open up and breathe a bit without sacrificing their tightness or intensity, and that allows for a less exhausting and more varied listening experience. This doesn't keep the music from feeling overbearing if you're not in the appropriate mindset, but it does open up their sound to nuances that were previously just barely suggested. Nevertheless, the group would be wise to ease up on the vocoder and bring the vocals of Amanda Okonek and Carly Nicklaus closer to the center of their compositions, as they add a generous humanity to the music that can be lost when they go too deep into a mechanical, overly pure perkiness that bears little resemblance to the messy clutter of normal emotions. Ultimately, that is the reason why their music can be so difficult to take in a state of stress and misery-- we may want to strive for perfect joy when we're already in a fantastic mood, but their idealized notion of happiness can seem entirely unrealistic if you're even slightly cynical.
