Customer Reviews

Times of Romance

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a great debut record from this down-to-earth Oakland trio (plus the new drummer guy)! I read some good press in the Guardian and decided to see them live at Cafe Du Nord with a friend. I then took ten friends with me the following week. An energetic and seductive live act, the Lovemakers bring much of this thrilling electricity to "Times of Romance." The refined recordings of long-time (three-year) favs like "Dance" improve upon, rather than pervert, the originals. "Shake that Ass" will make you want to hump your stereo and should definitely make it onto the airwaves soon. A few of the tracks, such as "Falling Apart" and "Gonna Find" are almost cloyingly poppy, disturbingly evocative of, say, Faith Hill, but their sweetness and shameless forwardness could not help but win me over. The title track, "Times of Romance," convincingly conveys the pathos of passionate lovers in their demise, and the electric violin solos add to the effect, despite the deliberateness of the cliche. Here and elsewhere, the rich electronic textures of the musical interludes remind me of Pulp, though the effect is much more lively (and perhaps naive) while much less maturely macabre. Greatest of all, perhaps, is that the Lovemakers are from Oakland and embrace the Bay Area as their nurturing fanbase. (I recently read that both Scott Blond and Lisa Light continue to wait tables in Rockridge.) I would consider giving the record four stars only because Light is a Stanford graduate, but that's petty. Of the twelve original tracks on this record, nine or ten could be true radio hits. Good luck, Lovemakers. Thanks for the great free show at Rasputin in Berkeley. Keep up the good work and keep making fun, sexy music for us!

I think the best way to sum this album up is to say that if you like the single (Prepare for the Fight) chances are you'll like the majority of the songs that come with it. This Oakland, CA trio combines the best aspects of bands such as Human League, including the male-female vocal dynamic, but updates the sound considerably, enough so that they not only avoid sounding like a bad cover band but also manage to run well with most electronica and dance you'd hear today.
This is not to say that it is always done perfectly, though. Certain tracks try to bring in a taste of trance (Shake that Ass) but in the end come off with a kind of updated-disco feel reminiscent of NIN's "Only," just with less of an edge. The most "modern" (As far as dance music goes) sounding track is the very forgettable remix of "Prepare for the Fight" by Dummies that serves as the album's last song, a weak attempt at club music in an otherwise great album.
Overall, though, in the year 2005 new wave is a very, very difficult path to follow without turning cheesy, and The Lovemakers manage to immerse themselves in synth-pop without becoming too sugary or just plain dumb. They do it unapologetically and, as a whole, very well. For old fans of the genre and newcomers looking for artists that completely stand out from their contemporaries, this album is a sure bet.

Reccomended if you Like: Human League, The Killers, The Postal Service

The Lovemakers play great songs with melodic hooks, and are of course fun to dance to. While their sound is somewhat like the B-52s and the Go-Gos, their songs are racier, relying on the underlying dark tension between vocalists Light and Blonde (ironically, the group has achieved success only after they broke up). Prepare for the Fight, Shake That Ass, Falling Apart, Runaway, Fashion--these tunes are catchy, yet different enough to keep the album from bogging down. Light and Blonde are a bit kitschy, but they know how to coo, too. Not a bad cut in the bunch. I hope they make it big and AllMusic finally puts up their bio!

I saw this Oakland-based band at the Viper Room on Sunset last weekend, opening for a couple of crap acts like Tsar. They easily stole the show with the short 30 minute or so set -- they steal the show once again with this album, "Times of Romance". The band effortlessly blends dance and rock that makes even the Indiest of kids shake their asses. In the vain of Human League, there are two lead vocalists (male and female) who banter back and forth throughout the tracks, which are lyrically strong and clever. Songs like "Girlfriend" talk about the girl's new 'internet girlfriend' and how her boyfriend is jealous. 'Set Me Free', another highlight, describes how her ex has a new girlfriend but still lives in her house. If you're interested in acts like the killers, interpol etc, you'll love the lovemakers because they are not contrived or pompous -- just straight-up fun. This is an amazing opportunity to discover a band that will be huge before anyone else does.

Wow, this record blew me away. Almost every song is a perfect pop masterpiece. Catchy-as-anything-I've-ever-heard-before hooks, beautiful melodies, harmonies that give me goosebumps, topped off with human league-ish (but better) drum programming and pounding 80's analog baselines!

Don't sleep on this record! It will be nothing less than a shame if this record doesn't go Platinum!

The Lovemakers offer a variety of techno, electronica and some indie on "Times of Romance". You will probably enjoy this CD if you are a fan of other groups such as Depeche Mode, Ladytron, and Moving Units. I think the high points of the cd were songs such as "Is It Alright", "Set Me Free", and "Runaway".

I rated the songs on the album on a scale of 1 to 5.

Prepare For The Fight - 3/5
Is It Alright? - 4/5
Dance - 2/5
Shake That Ass - 2/5 (Very disco)
Set Me Free - 5/5 (reminiscent that late 80s new wave)
Falling Apart - 4/5
Gonna Find - 3/5
Times of Romance - 3/5
We Should be Taking Our Clothes Off - 3/5
Hypnotised - 3/5
Runaway - 5/5 (My Favorite. Very reminiscent of Cyndi Lauper and Blondie.)
Fashion - 2/5
Prepare For The Fight/Remix - 3/5

Overall, this is NOT a bad cd. But, was not perfect either. I think the "Lovemakers" are a great band, there were just a few songs on "Time of Romance" that I usually skip over. However, I do look forward to hearing more from them soon.

I was attending a gig with the intent of being wowed by the Kaiser Chiefs. Rather, it was the Lovemakers who blew me away instead of the main act.

I do like their mainstrean debut album. The first portion is great with interesting tunes. But the latter half seems to blur together without any outstanding distinctions. I still highly recommend getting this CD though. Good music to dance to.

The Lovemakers are a phenomenon in the Bay area. Hopefully, this will translate towards the rest of the States. The band is a really great band to see live because their onstage antics prove their name. They play their guitars with vibrators, Scott's shirt is off half the time, Lisa and Scott spontaneously make out during the show, and it's generally not a show for younger people.

I loved the single, "Prepare for the Fight," and that's the reason why I bought this CD. I have to say that I did not like the rest of the CD as much until I saw the band perform live. They have an amazing stage presence and are good performers. The band constantly shows up in SF clubs. The band's goal is "to get indie-rock kids to dance again," and it only makes complete sense their music is beat-heavy, which is what someone was complaining about in a review I just read. As far as the music goes, they do succeed in their goal of getting people to dance. I agree that the band does have a heavy '80s influence, but like the other new new-wave bands out there today, I think they sound better than their inspirations. They kind of sound like the Killers, but easier to dance to.

They're a must-see band. I definitely liked the album a lot more after I saw the songs performed live. That's probably the case for a lot of people. Now, though, I listen to the whole album except I always skip the second track. It sounds a little too happy for me.

You will listen to The Lovemakers over and over!
It's about time we have music that makes sense again!!!

Considering most of the songs sound the same, this really isn't a bad album. Its not great, but I enjoy it. There are a couple of tracks ("Dance," "Shake That Ass") that are very plain, and I usually skip while listening to the CD.

I originally heard of this band when they opened at a concert I attended. It was a festival with close to 25 bands, and they had a half hour set, opening on the stage for all the headliners. Even though I had never heard them, I was immediately impressed. Honestly, their set was better than most of the bands there that day. When I finally bought their CD when it came out, i recognized some of the tracks they played ("Prepare For The Fight," "Set Me Free").

Overall, this is a good CD, and something fun to listen to. Chances are, like another reviewer here said, if you like Prepare For The Fight, you'll probably like the rest of the album.