Dear Independence

Another garage-y indie rock band, this time from Denmark, the Blue Van doesn't really do anything new or memorable on their sophomore album, Dear Independence, and unfortunately for the quartet, it's everyone else around them that are doing the same shtick so much better. It's not that the band's trashy, blues-influenced rock is necessarily bad, it's just rather boring when compared to all the Jet and White Stripes types of the world. The Blue Van don't have the attitude or sexuality of Louis XIV, and they're sorely missing the sheer energy of the Hives. What listeners are left with is a collection of relatively grainy mid-tempo rock songs that on occasion hit the mark, as with the lovely "The Poet Tree" or the acoustic playfulness of "Momentarily Sane," but otherwise leave listeners wanting something more. Dear Independence is enjoyable enough for those fans of the aforementioned groups looking for something new, just don't expect anything mind-blowing — fun or otherwise — coming out of your speakers.