Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. It's A Corporate World

Wouldn’t it be awesome if our existing corporate entities were candy-coated, kind and breezy, like the world Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. created on their first full-length album, It’s A Corporate World? Maybe some of us would have jobs and there wouldn’t be a 9.1 percent unemployment rate if the real world was as harmonious as theirs, but I digress. The Detroit duo, Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott, decided to make an ironic pact between the gas guzzling NASCAR dimension and indie-pop land by giving themselves such a name. Then you throw in "corporate world" and the entire concept becomes a giant contradiction. NASCAR, corporations and hipsters?! The mere thought makes me smile, and so does the album.

Don’t be surprised if you hear some of the songs from this LP during scrolling credits at the end of whatever ridiculous romantic comedy comes out of Hollywood this summer. The cinematic paeans aren’t fit for a drama. They’re made for blissful conclusions to silly problems and misunderstood love. The pop jams have digital fringes that make them less folksy and more like Passion Pit or Ducktails. The intro, Morning Thought, has some jejune percussion and harmonies that will probably be covered by youngsters starting their own bands. It’s simple and it sounds pretty. Skeletons has the same effect by allowing anyone with a tambourine feel like they're the missing third member. Including the hits from their EP, Horse Power, was a smart move because they fit like a racing glove with the rest of the effervescent sounds streaming from the full collection. Simple Girl is equipped with whistling melodies and da-da-da’s that make you want to put on a sundress and take a bike ride through a tulip field. But, I live in Holland so maybe that’s just me. Vocal Chords basically has the same vibe, but it’s like adding five more sugar cubes to your coffee. By the time you get to these bouncing beats and falsettos, you’ll either want to dance in delight or take your tambourine and crack it over someone’s head. To each their own.

We Almost Lost Detroit made for a smooth finish with the arena rock sound, nod to Gil Scott-Heron and the great industrial city. It helps you to remember the unfortunate events and anti-corporation themes in the lyrics, which you can easily forget while indulging in these amusement park tunes. In the end, this potpourri of merriment is great for some, but music diabetics like myself can’t handle all the sweetness. However, when considering the indie-pop genre, I believe It’s A Corporate World will please its devote followers. I suppose it’s not terrible to hear an album soaked in happiness with all the sorrow and melancholy that already exists.