December 13, 2008

The All-American Rejects' 2005 effort "Move Along" spawned a number of radio-friendly hits that appealed to the Vans Warped tour crowd and mainstream listeners alike. "When the World Comes Down" doesn't evince much growth, proffering more of the same hooky pop/rock centered around adolescent love and heartache. Accelerated rockers like "I Wanna" and "Breakin' " are the best of this lot, while on "Gives You Hell," singer Tyson Ritter does his best Freddy Mercury before leading into a stomping, "Beverly Hills"-like chorus. Orchestral flourishes pretty up the otherwise strummy "Sunshine," and guitars are largely absent from "The Wind Blows," adding a welcomed electro twist to the band's straightforward approach to the rest of the songs. For fans of AAR's past work, "World" is a familiar listen, but the group could benefit from a bit more outside-the-box thinking. —Jill Menze

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