AMG Review of Tsar

MacKenzie Wilson
All Music Guide

Twisting post-grunge into a cheeky glam rock sound is the delicious façade of Los Angeles' Tsar. On their self-titled debut, Tsar plays around with generic-branded alterna-rock for a humorous collection of songs. There will be no thrashing angst-ridden headbanging going on, for Tsar melts glossy new wave elements with corporate guitar rock flair. And the spiraling guitar loops and teetering percussion are firmly in place for a healthy dose of modern pop/rock.

To capture this jaunty punk-pop, Tsar brought in producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, Eric Clapton) and mixer impresario Chris Lord-Alge (Duran Duran, Savage Garden, Stevie Nicks, Hole). Frontman Jeff Whalen is lyrically wild, sheer, and quirky and his swirling vocals mimic the sassiness of Cheap Trick's Robin Zander. Songs like the anthemic "I Don't Want to Break Up" and "Calling All Destroyers" are loosely constructed to make the sharpest pop song sound chart-happy. They're lackadaisical in the artistical sense, but certainly an enjoyable listen. They aren't exceptional musicians yet, but Tsar's knack for nailing animated musical fluff is pure fun, and their music is meant to serve only that purpose.