Album review: The Cars, 'Move Like This'
2.5 stars (out of 4)
The name fits. The Cars manufactured sleek, gleaming new-wave jingles, beginning in 1978 with their still-spiffy debut album. Turn on a Cars song, and instantly the world becomes a sea of androgynous boys and girls dressed in vinyl, wearing sunglasses and cruising for anonymous hook-ups.
After nearly three decades apart, the surviving members – Ric Ocasek, Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes and David Robinson – have reunited for “Move Like This” (Hear Music), their seventh studio album (cofounding bassist Ben Orr died in 2000). Fans who loved the old Cars will find little has changed. Ocasek turns oddball phrases (“I heard your glockenspiel pounding soft”; “The world is full of quackers/And bellybutton rings”) in a deadpan voice well-suited for reading a William Gibson novel aloud. Jittery sixteenth-note rhythms coalesce into choruses fit for an army of androids to shout into space (“Sad Song,” “Free,” “Hits Me,” “Blue Tip”) while Hawkes breaks out his armada of keyboard squiggles and curlicues.
Though the band hired Garret “Jacknife” Lee (whose credits include Weezer, R.E.M. and the Hives) to produce half the album, his tracks sound interchangeable with the band’s self-produced efforts. The band’s ballads were always a bit draggy, and “Move Like This” contains enough slower or midtempo tracks to make it a bumpy listen. Outside of that immaculate first album, the Cars always made better singles anyway, and that’s still true here.
greg@gregkot.com
Actually, I find it a good effort! at least 3,5 out of 4.
Posted by: Joe Blog | May 09, 2011 at 07:37 AM
I need to listen to the whole record but the first two tracks released I love already. I agree that The Cars have their sound and stuck to it on this one so far. 2.5 stars? maybe. I'll come back and let you know if I agree.
Posted by: Nelson Velazquez | May 09, 2011 at 09:57 AM
Candy-O was a pretty sweet album too, Greg. Still is.
Posted by: Pat | May 09, 2011 at 01:49 PM
Candy-O is an amazing Cars album. Was just listening to it in the car today getting ready for the LA show this Thursday. The album still plays well today.
Posted by: Katie Devine | May 09, 2011 at 06:31 PM
This album has an early Cars feel to it.....Keep on Knocking reminds me of "You're All I got Tonight".....the song "Too Late" reminds me of Best Frends Girl. The album is not as good as the original or Heartbeat City.....but could be third on the list....
Posted by: Cj | May 09, 2011 at 06:44 PM
Such a amazing album.
Posted by: Nissan 240sx | May 10, 2011 at 12:40 AM
Amazing album. Thank you Cars! 5 out of 5 for me. Love the ballads!
toph
Posted by: christopher | May 10, 2011 at 01:43 PM
Great Album - but I can do without the ballads. I bought the CD yesterday and have listened only twice so far and I think Free and Sad Song are great and probably my early favorites but I am sure the others will grow as I listen to the CD some more and believe me I will be listening to it alot more! 24 years is so hard to believe and this was a dream come true for Cars fans!! I would rate their albums as follows:
The Cars
Candy O
Panorama
Heartbeat City
Move Like This
Shake It Up
Door to Door
As far as Shake It Up being so down on my list it's really not a knock but truth is I only have about 3 favorite songs on that album - Since Your Gone (which coincidentally is one of my top 10 Cars songs), Cruiser and Maybe Baby.
Door to Door was good and also has Strap Me In which is in my top 10 (or maybe top 20 Cars Songs lol).
Top 20 Cars Songs (my personal favorites)
1 Good Times Roll
2 Your All Ive Got Tonight
3 Dangerous Type
4 Since Your Gone
5 All Mixed Up
6 Since I Held You
7 Up and Down
8 Panorama
9 Strap Me In
10 Shoo Be Doo/Candy O (I know it's 2 songs but they run together well)
11 Lets Go
12 I Refuse
13 Don't Cha Stop
14 It's All I Can Do
15 Give Me Some Slack
16 I Got Alot On My Head
17 Magic
18 Just What I Needed
19 Heartbeat City
20 My Best Friends Girl
Anyways, can't wait to see these guys at the House Of Blues in Boston on 5/26/11!!!!!!
Posted by: Marc Donovan | May 11, 2011 at 01:35 PM
Agree w/Marc on "Strap Me In" being worthwhile from the previous "final" album. I would rank Heartbeat City right behind the first album. And I'd probably agree with this reviewer's 2.5. Maybe just a 2.
"Sad Song" is my favorite -- though, of course, it sounds... well... just like the Cars. "It's Only," "Take Another Look," and "Too Late" are the only other songs that really register for me. I always had a bit of a soft spot for the Cars' sappy ballads.
I do miss Benjamin Orr. He was a deeply underrated (by the average music fan) part of the band.
Posted by: JoeGillis | May 12, 2011 at 10:09 AM
For all you out there waiting to see the cars. I was there in Seattle for the first show in 24 yrs. Wow 24 yrs. I got there early and stood in line for a couple hours. It was a standing room only venue no seats. I go right up front first row center stage. They opened up with Good Time Roll. They were really good it thought. Ric looked exactly like he did in 1984. Except the chicken neck. I less than 10 feet from them all night long. They played 18 songs i believe. They sang 4-5 songs off the new album. I still call them albums. Shows you my age(50). They played 6 of the 9 off their first album. The ones they didnt play was Bye Bye Love, All Mixed Up and Dont Cha Stop. I was suprised they played Moving in Stereo without All Mixed up. I know those are songs Ben sang. The only songs they did of Ben's were Moving in Stereo, Just What I Needed & Lets Go. If i had one grip and i really dont it was that they played only one song off the Candy-O album, Lets Go. I was really bummed out that they did not play Dangerous Type my favorite song. But that is OK I wasnt expecting them to ever get back together. They also played a few from the 80's, You Might Think, Touch and Go, I'm Not the One, and i think Tonight she comes not sure on the last one. I figured there would be a set list already online but i cant find one. They let you take all the pictures you wanted. I took over 100 but they were on you like white on rice about recording anything. So be careful if you plan on bootlegging videos. I thought for sure there would be videos on Youtube right after the show but i have not seen any yet. I highly sugest if you want to see this band do it the prices for the tickets are cheap. They only cost me 48 bones. Very reasonable. They are only playing 9 more venues so go if they are anywhere near where you live. You will not regret going but you will regret not going.
Posted by: Les | May 13, 2011 at 11:46 AM
That top list of songs got me thinking... what is truly the top songs The Cars have produced according to Billboard? The answer is quite interesting by peak position:
1) Drive- #3
2) Shake it Up - #4
3) Tonight She Comes - #7
4) You Might Think - #7
5) Magic - #12
6) Lets Go - #14
7) You Are the Girl - #17 (Yes, Door to Door had a relative big hit for them)
8) Hello Again - #20
9) Just What I Needed - #27
10) I'm Not The One - #32 (Yes, Door to Door again)
11) Why Can't I Have You - #33
12) Sad Song - #33 (Current hit, 12th highest ranked song)
So although they are not a big name after all of these years, relatively speaking, their newest album fits in with their biggest hits of the 1980s. At least the first single has performed well enough that they have not embarassed themselves in their comeback (unlke recent Ric Ocasek albums like "Nexterday" that never even charted).
Which leads to my main point - this reunion with Ric Ocasek is only because he could not sell albums in his solo career anymore. He had new songs, he wanted them published/performed, and the only way to do it was with The Cars again. We benefit as the fans, and hopefully, the experence was not so bad for Ric Ocasek that maybe, just maybe, if this album does well enough, he wll do another one. We will have to wait and see since at 62, cannot say he will have the desire to do this again. I do apprecaite this effort, as it seems like an all our real effort to generate a pop/rock album and they succeded.
Posted by: Sam | May 17, 2011 at 02:26 PM