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The Divorce:
The Gifted Program
Song titles with exclamation points, exemplified by Yes! and Deny! Deny! Deny!, highlight the obvious and overt enthusiasm of The Divorces music on The Gifted Program. When vocalist Shane Berry is yelping out his words, as he so often does with these songs, Jarvis Cocker fronting, say, Hot Hot Heat comes to mind. There are times, however, when Berry's voice makes him sound a little down in the mouth. Such a mild depressive is Doctors and Friends, which combines a Robert Smith vocal, with a big, Weezer-like chorus. This quartets hyperactivity has led some to term it a kind of New Wave revivalist outfit, and the intentionally cheesy keyboard part on Call the Police supports this retro categorization. Thus, the aptly titled Be Quiet comes off a little like an out-of-control child on a time-out, as it slows down the aural activity considerably. The album closes with the relatively straightforward, chunky guitar rock of Fishin with the Party Sharks, which also offers a break from The Divorce's otherwise clipped-guitar-rock attack. The combination of its breathlessly delivered lyrics, along with its cheekily titled songs, sometimes makes it hard to take this outfit too seriously. Additionally, The Divorce surely is a gloomy band name for such a nervous little act. Yet its hard not to get at least a little stirred up by a band that seems to be having so much fun doing what it does. With The Gifted Program, The Divorce certainly shows off its smarts.
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