“We Have an Emergency” – The Operation M.D. - Review by Pilar

Overall rating: 4.2 / 5
Sounds like: The baby The Beatles and The Hives would’ve fathered if they had co-existed.
Best song: New Kill
Funniest song: Photo sexual
Darkest song: Dirt
Unnecessary song: Obvious

What strikes stronger about this masterpiece of an album is the fact that it is totally unexpected. And while so many bands try hard to justify their music and claim authenticity, this band achieves it effortlessly.
Cone McCaslin and Todd Morse truly succeed at ditching their respective bands’ (Sum41; H2O, Juliette and The Licks) ways and creating something completely unique. With their alter-egos, Dr Dynamite and Dr Rocco, they bring back something music had been lacking recently: fun.
Their songs are unpretentious, and while deep and well-written, don’t come off as know-it-all wanna-be quasi-intellectual (and yes, this review is the most I have used dashes at). And I dare say it is honest and clean.

The highs in the album are very high, and the lows are low enough, creating a delirious contrast. With fast and dance-along songs, this album will make tasty summer memories. One word I wrote on my first impressions about each song, that kept repeating itself, was “powerful”. And powerful each song is, but not in an overwhelming way. This is what I’m loving right now. Each song feels easy and comfortable, and not forced in any way. They talk about playing and being played, and don’t dwell in over-sentimentalism. Hopefully, more bands will follow soon enough (Sum41, please?).

Let’s go down to the most outstanding songs. First, Everyday I, which has an ironically refreshing retro sound. Then of course the mellow instant-favorite Someone like you, which makes you want to grab a guitar and sing along at a campfire. To me, the best song in the album (by a scratch) would be New Kill, simply because it’s the only “deep” song that still maintains some bubbliness and chill. And while a lot of people are having a blast with the first single, Sayonara, it is Photo Sexual which will really show you what fun’s all about.

The song Dirt summarizes the album pretty well: it goes high, then low, then back to high, back to low, just to end in a delicious musical explosion.
And while I adore the slight variety in it, and the way the album is a roller-coaster of a trip, I have one complaint. To me, the album should’ve ended one song earlier. Not that the last song is necessarily a bad one, it’s just that it ends the album on a too-low vibe. Maybe a re-arrangement of the song order would’ve made it just perfect.