The Beautiful Bodies

“Touch Me (But If Only You Knew How)” by the Beautiful Bodies, from Touch Me (self-released):

The Beautiful Bodies‘ debut, Touch Me, is an awkward and only occasionally rewarding combination of pale Yeah Yeah Yeahs mimickry and roaring classic rock. It’s as if Karen O hijacked Rush before either of the parties were fully formed. Bodies frontwoman Alicia Solo, for all her stage appeal and self-promotional charisma, has only one song in her, and it’s the YYY’s “Date With the Night.” She talk-sings or shrieks repetitively throughout Touch Me, wasting, through lack of ideas, what could be an interesting, dynamic voice. The first three songs — “Osculator” (a direct rip-off of “Date”), “Heart Attack” and “Touch Me (But Only If You Know How)” — find the band struggling not to rip its pants while playing beginner funk riffs over dance-punk beats. In the record’s middle section, the band kicks up the speed, distortion and number of changes, and gets some go out of it. The more musically complex songs, such as “Lines of Life” and “Stalker,” sound like a riff war between the guitarists from Blue Oyster Cult and the bass player from Yes. Unfortunately, Solo clings to her relentless Karen O-aoke approach start to finish, minus any actual melody. When it comes to writing songs, these Bodies need to start using their heads.