3 out of 5

Label: Startime International

Produced by: Phil Ek

How to describe a completely ordinary pop record…?

It’s not bad.

It’s wishy-washy, depending on your mood.

The re-named (after a wonderful lawsuit from Dio) ‘Dios (Malos)’ give us moments of slacker pop like Marcy Playground; some saccharine Superdrag riffs; and a slew of radio friendly generics with lyrics maybe sorta about hanging out, girls, living life, etc.  It sounds very crisp and shiny thanks to Phil Ek, and the band earns their indie label with some nice 5+ minute indulgences, where a track like ‘So Do I’ will head-bobbing beat on until it can build and build to an effective tinkle of instruments at its conclusion.  Excepting some excellent short and sweet irresistably hooky tracks, like opener ‘Feels Good Being Somebody,’ or ‘I Feel Fine All the Time,’ these longer tracks – where the group allows their solid tunes to sink in slowly but surely, riding the beat confidently for several minutes and adding and subtracting one or two layers – and what carries the album, and saves it from being 100% inoffensively pleasant.  It’s several listens through the disc where I start to tune out toward the end before my ears are saved by the moody, rewarding closer ‘Old Field Recordings.’  And when you’re in a good mood, the rest of the disc is a boon, making you want to chorus along and shake yer unrhythmic hips – this is the power of Ek, who sharpens up a lot of his recordings so that they’re as presentable as can be.

But, y’know, when you’re just in a normal mood, Dios (Malos) just sounds completely ordinary for the most part.

It’s not bad.