Styrofoam

A Thousand Words

[3/5]

Styrofoam’s 2004 full-length Nothing’s Lost was a groundbreaking mix of twitching electro-quirks and organic melancholy. But on the slick A Thousand Words, Arne Van Petegem (aka Styrofoam) worked with the Los Angeles-based production crew WAX LTD, whose clients include Miley Cyrus and Jessica Simpson. Although Words’ warm, bubbling synthpop contains no egregious top 40 overtures, it lacks the musical depth of previous Petegem releases. “After Sunset” and the skittering title track-which conjure the Postal Service and Depeche Mode, respectively-are gorgeous but surface-skimming pop gems, while the Jim Adkins-assisted “My Next Mistake” feels like a weak outtake from Jimmy Eat World’s Futures. Bizarrely, “Lil’ White Boy” (featuring gentle folkie Josh Rouse) is the edgiest thing on the disc, a midnight-hued trip-hop creep that resembles Massive Attack. Unfortunately, Words too often feels like a generic collection of martini-bar electro that makes great background wallpaper and not much more. (NETTWERK) Annie Zaleski