The Boy Least Likely To - The Law Of The Playground (2009)

As the title suggests, this album can be a lot of fun. It's upbeat, poppy, and youthful; to the point of being childlike. "A Balloon On A Broken String" and "When Life Gives Me Lemons I Make Lemonade" are pure pop goodness. However, as is the case with many twee bands, sometimes the songs are a little too juvenile and silly. As catchy as a "Every Goliath Has Its David" is, I can't get over lyrics like "I've got puppy power". Sorry, maybe when I have kids. The White Stripes sometimes explored a similarly youthful perspective on songs like "Pretty Good Looking For A Girl", but they balanced it out with plenty of crunching riffs. Without that variation, the album as a whole -- and the simple lyrics in particular -- recalls classic bubblegum bands like Ohio Express and 1910 Fruitgum Co.