Like that attention-getting title, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!, this Huntington Beach quartet brings on the musical exclamation points. Following a self-titled EP in 2004, Hellogoodbye debuts with a sugary dose of synth-pop. Then, once you think you've got the foursome figured out, they put Jesse Kurvink's hyperactive keyboard playing aside for mandolin-bedecked ballad "Oh, It Is Love" ("Baby, It's Fact" is another rare mid-tempo tune). The group is rounded out by Marcus Cole (bass), Chris Profeta (drums), and Forrest Kline (vocals, guitar). According to the liner notes, all songs were written by Mr. Kline... and his dog. And those songs include lyrics like "Oh girl it's true; I can never be away from you / It's like you gloss your lips with glue / Oh we kiss and I am stuck to you" ("Stuck to You") and "Present for a presentation presented presently" ("Figures A and B"). In album closer "Two Weeks in Hawaii," he even uses the word "rad." Twice. Okay, so Kline isn't Cole Porter, but his yearning tenor and playful tales of puppy love are a perfect match for Hellogoodbye's pep rally anthems. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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