An amalgamation of seemingly every indie-pop band from the Chapel Hills, West Chicagos, and sunny California Valleys of America, Number One Cup are surprisingly uninteresting. All of the ingredients are in place-- backward hooks; deep, pogoing bass; vocal swapping, and non-sensical lyrics hinting themes of aeronautics, technology, geography, and infatuation. And after the demise of Polvo and Archers of Loaf, Number One Cup even have the skills to fill college- rock shoes. Heck, they even mix in up- to- date synthesizers and crunchy digital effects. But man, does this record underwhelm.

The 12 songs that comprise People People Why Are We Fighting are executed as singular, underdeveloped ideas, and they all stop short of their potential. The melodies breeze by like rough, but shiny sketches that have been polished with expert production. This studio gloss and brisk pace whittles potential bowie- knife tunes into silver- butter- knife ditties.

But Number One Cup's true achilles' heel is their ambition. In siphoning small chunks from every band, they frankenstein together an ultimately banal mix. And even though a fresh infusion of Tron- geek flavors put a little "fun" in this otherwise "functional" record, People People is pedestrian, humdrum, and in need of direction.

Like a mild British comedy flick, People People Why Are We Fighting can be enjoyed, admired for its whimsicalness and art direction, thoroughly digested, and inevitably forgotten. Call it the "Waking Ned Devine" of indie-pop.

-Brent DiCrescenzo

"High Driver"

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