What We're Listening To

REVIEW
We're way past the stage where record labels are even pretending they're just selling music.

The world wants more than just a sackful of notes. It wants X Factor backstory, bin scraps for the trash-mags and a tour with swinging antelopes and nuclear warheads.

We're at the point where we congratulate a band for writing its own songs.

The Jonas Brothers are at the eye of a tornado of Disney money, and for that they're loved and loathed. Their fourth album has a terrible title and tracks that could be picked out with Friends-style tags like "The Slow One", "The Rap One" and "The Softcore Foo Fighters Effort".

That said, it's largely self-penned, with an ear for a tune and no pretensions. It may be slick corporate pop, but "real" bands have insulted us with worse and escaped the lynch mob.