Is Anybody Out There?

New York indie-pop act A Great Big World’s debut LP “Is Anybody Out There?” is kind of like eating a box of Peeps.

One is delightful. Two is tasty enough. Even half a dozen of the little guys is still alright.

But by lucky No. 7, you’ll hit a sugar-coated wall. Should you persevere and finish all dozen, chances are you’ll puke.

The seventh Peep on this album is called “Everyone Is Gay.”

Now, I have no issue with the song’s message, which you can probably guess from the title, nor did I have an issue with it when Macklemore said it, nor did I have an issue with it when fun. said it.

But toss in some reedy vocals, derivative piano chords and kissy sound effects and you’ve got something that not only sounds misguided, but also shamelessly manufactured.

In a YouTube performance of album closer “Cheer Up!,” Ian Axel dedicates the track to “all the grown-ups out there that have some serious cheering up to do.”

It’s kind of shocking to hear that after 40 minutes of plinky pianos, lyrics with all the emotional depth of a “My Little Pony” cartoon and ridiculous Broadway vocal stylings.

The final track is meant for an audience other than suburban preteens who fancy themselves too precocious and unique for Hot Topic.

Forgive me if I seem a little too eager to rip this album apart. To be honest, I really wanted to like it.

Nerdy indie-electronica got me through middle school. Does anyone remember hellogoodbye? Math the Band? I was really hoping this release would rekindle some of that same fun.

Unfortunately, what this album presents isn’t so much fun. You know, over-the-top harmonies, a sense of humor that’s absent on half the tracks and unbearably effete and twee on others, lots of cutesy piano and lyrics that sound tailor-made with commercials in mind.  

Now that Weezer’s been artistically bankrupt for the better part of two decades, They Might Be Giants finally stopped bludgeoning us with their accordions, and Ben Folds hasn’t done anything of merit since “Brick” (a.k.a that abortion song). There’s no denying that pop music needs a couple of disenchanted white kids with stupid glasses and tight shirts to give shy kids everywhere a sense of belonging.  

The frustrating thing is A Great Big World could be that band, if only they’d crank everything down a couple of notches.

Subtlety is important in music.

By giving the listener a choice of whether to engage with the emotions of song, the artists make the effect of their work all the greater when it finally hits.

“Is Anybody Out There?” could have made a passable EP, but as 40 five-minute chunk of music, it’s cloying.