Ludo Albums (2)
'You're Awful, I Love You'
Release Date 2/26/2008
Tracks 12
Label Island
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
With their first self-released, self-titled album, Ludo seemed to be on their way to being the kind of smart rock band that Weezer and Fountains of Wayne can be, as lead singer and primary songwriter Andrew Volpe roamed through the ups and down of romance, viewing it all as if he were a coach potato comparing his life to popular movies and TV commercials. Years of touring the Midwest later, Ludo have signed to a major label and come under the wing of a hot producer, Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, Train). On You're Awful, I Love You, the band now sounds like it's trying to rank with the Killers and Jimmy Eat World. Wallace achieves a radio-ready mainstream rock sheen, smoothing the band's rough edges. As for the songwriting, every now and then something literate breaks through, such as at the beginning of "Topeka," when Volpe sings, "I found God in a catalytic converter in Topeka on a Monday night," and "Go-Getter Greg" stands out with enough flair to have fit in on the first album. Those who have never heard Ludo before may think You're Awful, I Love You is an efficient work of pop/rock. (Although the final track, "In Space," appears to run 8:19, it actually runs about 3:50, followed by a minute and a half of silence and then the hidden track "Boat Song.") ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Ludo are primarily a vehicle for the songs of lead singer Andrew Volpe, who wrote nine of the 11 tracks on the group's self-titled debut album, the other two contributed by guitarist Tim Ferrell in much the same style. Musically, that style is a cut above pop-punk, employing driving, rhythmic guitar strumming as its basic sound, but with abrupt tempo shifts and occasional odd time signatures. Ludo may rev up to a punk blare as, for example, at the start of the final track, "Girls on Trampolines," but only to subside to a syncopated beat or have keyboardist Tim Convy throw in an odd blurp from his Moog synthesizer. It's all in the service of Volpe's lyrics, sung in a nervous, adenoidal tenor. His tongue often resting in his cheek, Volpe creates the persona of a young, horny pop-culture maven on the lookout for love when he isn't watching TV. His references are frequently to films ("I feel like Elliott when E.T. drank the beer," he declares, trying to explain his attraction to a girl in "Saturday Night Thunderbolt") and commercial products ("Your voice like sprayed Febreeze," goes a line in "Laundry Girl"), and his feelings range from utter devotion ("Sara's Song") to utter contempt ("Good Will Hunting by Myself"). But always, the search for love goes on, from laundromats to impromptu beer blasts behind Burger King. It isn't easy finding a mate with whom you can "make fun of Charlie Sheen," and who won't take offense when you tell her she's wrong to think that "The Kids in the Hall was the best show of them all." Such is the challenge of modern life, as set to some rocking tunes by Ludo. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
