Review Over Backstreet Boys

Backstreet's back. Alright? Released today, their comeback album "This Is Us" proves to be chock full of sugary sweet teen angst, from finding the loves of their lives all the way to the hurtful moment when they break up with said love. Even though it's been ten years since the "Millenium", the boys of pop have yet to musically evolve into men. While sure to entice the then-eight-now-eighteen-year-old girls back into their childhood obsession, the album fails to attract new audiences with it's dated mass-produced electronics and transparent lyrics. If you told this writer that this was their very first album, she would have believed you.

The album opener, "Straight Through my Heart", is a feeble attempt to explore the band's 'emo' side, with dramatic lyrics such as "A single bullet got me, I can't stop bleeding, straight through my heart". But the Kylie Minogue-inspired electronica bumping in the background creates a complete discord of genres and is confusing to the ear. Combined with the too-smooth harmony of the four boys (Kevin Iverson did not join the reunion), the song is complete cacophany. In an unwise choice, they repeat this trend in "Bye Bye Love", "All of Your Love", and "Can I Be Your Man"

The band also reached their alternative fans with "Bigger" and "This Is Us". Both begin with melodic guitar strumming similar to the whiney ballads of Dashboard Confessional and My Chemical Romance, and then electronic beats crescendo from the first chorus until they reign the speakers entirely. Also still included are the overly-cheesy lyrics of boy bands past, such as "Can I change the meaning of you?"

Thank God for the breath of fresh air T-Pain obviously provided as producer of "PDA" and "Masquerade". The only modern tunes on the album, these tracks more closely resemble the styles of successful rap and pop artists of today. While still sounding as if they were produced on a cheap keyboard, they serve as a relief to the listener, having been subjected to gag-me pop for the last half hour. The composition of beats are much more catchy and danceable, a key factor in success for today's pop radio.

This is because fans are much more savvy than they were 10 years ago, thanks to the internet. They are very aware that there are old men in suits writing all the lyrics and that the band is just the face. That fantasy was cracked long ago. So while the lyrics of both songs are quite explicit and club related, they're probably the only ones that have a shot for the billboard charts. The boys of the backstreets should have given the producers more control, rather than attempting to revive their successful yet pubescent earlier work.

However, one must not forget the masses of teens and early twenty-something girls who will purchase the album simply out of nostalgia. Many of us have fond childhood memories associated with the Backstreet Boys, and while this album will probably be short-lived on these girl's "favorites" playlists, it will serve as a momentary glimpse into a time when they were younger and less wise. But this writer does not care to reminisce, and, more importantly, was an N*Sync fan.