Power pop from the Midlands in the form of The Breakdowns. 'Do You Love Me' is a voice and a guitar and only a hint of organ followed by some percussion and it's catchy that's for sure. Both polished and rough in the right places with some lush backing vocals - an interesting opener and a great marker for what's to come.

'Sad But True' has that Ramones pop sensibility about it - think 'Rock n Roll Radio' and you're not a million miles away - but also a back beat and backing vocals that made Grease a smash hit motion picture. We get some jangly guitar picking as used in the '80s by bands like The Icicle Works and the Ohh la la la harmonies as well as some more abrasive tones all bunged in this melting pot and you think maybe this shouldn't work but it does and, above all, the quality of the songwriting shines through.

Singer Joe has a bit of Spike from the Quireboys about his tones at times - the overall picture bares no resemblance but the rasp is certainly there! A quick gander at the front cover of this here CD tells you everything you need to know about where these boys are coming from, with classic albums like 'Rock N Roll Over' by Kiss, 'Damned, Damned, Damned', a bit of Cheap Trick, The Ramones, Bay City Rollers, AC/DC as well as Buddy Holly, Elvis, Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys. Put that lot into a big pot and what you would pour out would be exactly what you have on 'The Kids Don't Wanna Bop Any More'. Thirteen songs, and thirteen well crafted songs, that have elements of the aforementioned bands but the songs are never sacrificed for the style. 'Summer Twist' is a homage to 'Rock N Roll High School' era Ramones with its Beach Boys keyboard and backing vocals but it has that inimitable Ramones punch (maybe Blondie was being listened to here as well) all topped off with a great guitar solo; so simple yet effective - great stuff indeed.

Let's be fair, what's not to like here? The Kiss groove of 'Samantha Jones' makes for a great song - it's like The Posies rocking out to some Mott The Hoople with nothing spared in the delivery department: perfect power pop contrasted with the next track and its '60s harmonica and snare drum, 'If You Want It You Got It' which really soars as The Breakdowns puff out their collective chests and strut around the speakers like a right showing off peacock.

The Breakdowns' love for the music handed down to them is obvious and infectious and if you want a piece of their record collection melting pot then it's here for you to embrace and enjoy. The variety between the tracks is vast but not disjointed: '11th Street Beat Girl' motors compared to previous mentioned tracks whilst 'Make Everything Alright' is a Ramones/Hanoi Rocks/Beach Boys hybrid. To close out the album it's back to the beginning with vocals, guitar, a dash of keys and some percussion; a song that's heartfelt and emotional without being cheesy or dull. The main thing is this is a great CD full of great songs and hopefully The Breakdowns wheel will keep on rolling and they don't for a minute try to reinvent it - just keep on keeping on. 

Timeless and definitely worth investing some of your hard earned on. The kids might not wanna bop anymore but they might not be able to help themselves once they hear this.
 
www.thebreakdowns.co.uk