Buddyhead Records is a label fueled by hype. Your Enemies Friends released their debut effort The Wiretap EP on their label. So naturally I was drawn to check it out, but I wasn't expecting much because nine times out a ten with Buddyhead the hype isn't worth. This was that one exception; they actually signed a promising band. In support of the EP, Your Enemies Friends took to the road alongside Pretty Girls Makes Graves and The Dillinger Escape Plan, creating quite a buzz for themselves and catapulting You Are Being Videotaped onto every hipster's want list.
The majority of reviews that I have read about Your Enemies Friends have repeatedly compared them to Pretty Girls Make Graves. Oddly enough, I think I am the only one who doesn't hear the similarities. "The One Condition" quickly sets the precedent for what is in store for us on You Are Being Videotaped. The music is fueled by fast-paced post-punk rock and underlying keyboards to give it that new-wave flavor that is rather in right now. A more precise description would go something like this: take the music of Relationship of Command era At the Drive-In, add a little more distortion and some keyboards / electronic effects and wham, you've got a hit like "Back of a Taxi." While Ronnie Washburn contributes the majority of the vocals throughout the album, bassist Dana James occasionally chimes in to lend her vocal talents, such as on "Business French Kiss." I presume this is where the PGMG comparisons stem from. Some of the bands obvious influences are showcased on this album, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. "Unusable Signal" pays homage to Nirvana, I'm sure that Luis-Carlos Contreas emulated Dave Grohl's playing for hours on end. The album does provide for some good sing-alongs, the chorus of "Pollution of Nonsense" allows the listener to scream out "This is impossible to complicate," thought I'm not sure what that refers to - it's probably just nonsense. As the album closes to an end, Your Enemies Friends mellow out, which is kind of disappointing for I rather enjoyed it when they rocked out. In fact, "The Comfort System" and "Easy Assault" sound like an entirely different band as compared to the beginning of You Are Being Videotaped.
So the review is completed and now that means there is only one thing left to do: brace for cover as "Captain Buddyhead" reads my review and decides to pick apart my entire life for his own enjoyment.
