Sophomore Slump.

The Diggs
Ctrl-Alt-Del

If you're going to listen to this album be prepared to take a nap. That being the case, I'm going to tell you exactly what it sounds like: If any band could best exemplify the musical epitome of sleepy indie rock, it would be The Diggs (and about 10 bands I can't recall at moment). Influenced largely by the buzzing guitars of 90s alternative, the band has created a sound that is so incredibly derivative you consistently feel like you've heard it all before –and that's probably because you have.

After listening to several tracks, Ctrl-Alt-Del begins to blur together into a hodgepodge of everything you don't miss about 90s rock (“Careen” and “Collide/Collapse”). Vocalist/ guitarist Tommy Lannen tries his best to emulate Bloc Party's post-punk cool (who are really just ripping off Gang of Four, but at least they do it well) by pumping out some of the most jangly reverb-drenched guitar lines he can fathom, but unfortunately, his results are tepid.

The closest this Brooklyn, New York three-piece ever gets to exciting is the intro of “Brightness Falls” which comes off as a watered-down Strokes' single. What may be the band's most unnerving quality is the inability create appealing or captive music, resulting an incredibly passive record. There is nothing conceptually, aesthetically, lyrically, musically, or texturally interesting about this album. Not one moment of the album will jar listeners or invoke...well, anything; making this album fall completely flat.

Grade: D-