Antilove - X27

All too often, artists who gave us promising debut albums have run out of creative steam by the time they released a second album. That "promising debut/disappointing follow-up" syndrome is known as "the sophomore curse" or "the sophomore slump," and it is not uncommon in the music world. Thankfully, X27 dodges that bullet on their second full-length album, Antilove, which not only lives up to the potential they showed on their previous full-length album, Your Neu Favourite Band, but is actually a bit stronger. Antilove was engineered in Chicago by Steve Albini, an alternative rock heavyweight whose long résumé includes Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey, Neurosis, and countless others, and he clearly understands what makes X27 tick. The Chicago-based trio (whose Antilove lineup consists of lead singer/bassist Carmen X, lead singer/guitarist Rikkeh, and drummer/keyboardist Massey) is known for having a distorted, noisy, jagged, punky, hard-rocking approach to alternative rock, but X27 is also known for being infectious, accessible, and hooky; Albini obviously appreciates what this group is about, and he serves them well on memorable tracks such as "Luna," "Come on Down," "Inside-Out World," and "Brainless Mind." By CD standards, Antilove is not very generous; the disc clocks in at a mere 33 minutes. But while quantity is important, quality is a lot more important; 33 minutes of quality is certainly preferable to 70 or 80 minutes of mediocrity, and quality is something that Albini helps X27 achieve on this engaging sophomore disc. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide