Long-time blog readers may have figured out I have a thing for Max Martin's and Dr. Luke's songwriting. They have created pitch-perfect pop songs in a way not done since Micheal Jackson or even Phil Spektor. The Veronicas had a minor US hit with the duo's "4ever" So I was surprised that the Australian twins not only avoided using the two Swedes' songwriting skills, they ditched the rah-rah power-pop in Dr. Luke's most famous creations performed by Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne for a electro-pop sound with an emo underscoring.
It could be a smart move, after all Christina, Natasha Bedingfeild, Rihanna, Chris Brown and Ne-yo have all had recent hits with a sleek club sound. After the brilliant single "Untouched" was used on So You Think You Can Dance, Lancaster's FM97 put the track into rotation. It's the opener to Hook Me Up - an electro album that deserves a place in every gay man's CD collection, wedged between Britney's Blackout and Lady Gaga's The Fame. "Untouched" is beyond brilliant, the fast paced strings give way to a new wave keyboard tone and a bed of electric guitars while Lisa and Jessica sing at breakneck speed about a long distance relationship before breaking to sing the title against the strings. It's sleek and sexy pop music at its finest.
But there are 12 other tracks on the album! From the emo-riffic kiss-off "Revenge Is Sweeter (Than You Ever Were)" (in which the chorus thrillingly builds to a crescendo on the title line) to the bi-curious floor-filler "Take Me On The Floor"(recorded before Katy Perry was kissing girls) to the tongue-in-cheek ego-booster "Popular" ("Don't try and hate me because I am so popular" the duo croon on the chorus) The Veronicas prove they are a pop force waiting to be unleashed on the States. The girls make a few mis-steps, like on the overly-crowded "I Don't Wanna Wait" and the uninspired cover of "Goodbye To You" (recently used in a YAZ commercial) but this is one of the better pop albums of the year.
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