Ego vs Id

There's a misconception — particularly regarding local music — that hard work and good intentions ought to be factored in when judging an album. They shouldn't. All that matters — all that should matter — is the sound that sprouts out of the speakers. Taste is the debut by Boulder's...

By Jason Heller

October 27, 2010

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There's a misconception — particularly regarding local music — that hard work and good intentions ought to be factored in when judging an album. They shouldn't. All that matters — all that should matter — is the sound that sprouts out of the speakers. Taste is the debut by Boulder's Ego vs Id. Put it in. Press "play." It makes pleasant noises. But the disc's almost-clever, almost-catchy songs tread water and wind up nowhere. Calling it a lob toward the lowest common indie-rock denominator would be giving it too much credit; it's a pitch straight down the middle, neither brave enough to tantalize nor safe enough to comfort. Flawless and featureless, it sits there. Did a lot of hard work go into Taste? Clearly. Is the album well-intentioned? More than likely. Is it boring as fuck? God, yes.

Jason Heller is a staff writer at Westword. He's the author of the book Strange Stars: David Bowie, Pop Music, and the Decade Sci-Fi Exploded (Melville House/Penguin Random House), and has contributed to the New Yorker, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and NPR.org. His work has won a Hugo Award and a Colorado Press Association Award.

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