As the former frontman of post-hardcore favorites Recover, Dan Keyes seemed as unlikely a candidate as anyone to hop on the dance-rock bandwagon, but that's exactly what he did, reinventing himself as Young Love and releasing his debut Too Young to Fight It on Island Records in early 2007. On that album's "Take It or Leave It," he sang, "I'm tryin' hard to have a good time," and at times, it seemed as though he was trying just a little too hard to fit into a genre that just wasn't natural for him, resulting in more than a few moments on the album that sounded a bit forced. Still, there was such a musical diversity displayed on the album, as it transitioned back and forth from dancefloor jams ("Discotech," "Find a New Way"), slow grooves ("Give Up," "Tell Me") and New Wave rockers ("Underneath the Night Sky"), and with hooks around just about every corner, it was generally an enjoyable listen.
I wasn't even aware that Keyes had been working on a second Young Love album until a short time before the release, but it definitely had me curious about what it would be like. It's often been said that a band essentially spends their whole lives up to that point writing their first album and only a comparatively short time completing their second, the result often being disappointingly subpar, and this insight would seem to make as much sense, if not more, in the realm of side projects, which usually arise from the artists' unbridled creative energy, with cliched quotes along the lines of "These songs just came out of me," and "I couldn't help but to write them," frequently popping up. The question is, what happens when you actually do have to write the songs for the follow-up? In the case of Young Love, you write an album that sounds pretty much just like the first one musically, except that the songs are not catchy, and I can't imagine anyone getting the urge to dance, even from the most uptempo tracks....full text |
It is safe to think that Young Love’s impending sophomore release - One of Us - isn’t titled out of mere coincidence. In general, being young and finding love is something we all can relate to - whether with someone, with something, or with some feeling. Presto; you’re one of us. When it comes to the album in general, there is no escaping the fact that some songs will quickly become dance favorites and will be played on repeat, numerous times. It’s just that enlivening. Consider it an unspoken agreement between listener and artist.
The first half of the album is upbeat, carefree, bright and without burden, at least during what I’d like to call Part A; however, about halfway through (Part B), it veers away from the glittery effects and emerges with more standard shades of rock, almost as if one is listening another band entirely. Almost. The only question that arises is if the change in pace and mood will prove a bit too emo for some listener’s tastes, especially if impressions have been cultivated and sustained by the usual endorphin-lifting tracks....full text |
Send "Young Love " Ringtones to your Cell 
Dan Keyes turned more heads in 2007 with his dance-rock debut as Young Love than he ever did fronting his middling emo band Recover. So you can understand why the scene-savvy New Yorker would pump up the deep-throb disco beats even more on this follow-up, which plays like the soundtrack to a self-consciously debauched night out on the Lower East Side. Inevitably, One of Us features a few wrong turns: The dopey bellow of "Black Boots" conjures a frat guy wrecking Incubus at karaoke. But aided by a bag of killer bass lines, Keyes manfully gropes his way to the next hot spot....full text
