Quick hitters:: Hexes & Ohs

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A skeptic asshole might say that electro fueled, boy/girl pop outfits are a dime a dozen, and to be honest, I kind of feel the same way. That’s not to say those groups can’t make an addictive track that seeps deep into your brain, I just sort of feel bad letting it get there. I wish I could say that Montreal electro-poppers Hexes & Ohs changed my opinion of the genre, but I’d be lying.

Hexes & Ohs just released their new record – Bedroom Madness – and are starting to get a bit of attention after a big cross country tour. With Heidi on bass and Edmund showing more than enough guitar chops to help add an organic feel to the drums loops and programming, I was intrigued but wondered if the duo could write enough to make a full length that stood out.

In the end, I think they fell short, but that might have been a result of ambition. If they had trimmed the songs down to a more digestible number (8-10), I think it would have had more impact and helped the songs stand out. Sure, the 80’s influenced electro pop is ear pleasing on a casual listen, but I found a lot of the songs lacking in the depth of better programmers and after I while I got hit with a case of the sames-y-ies.

It’s all too common to hear some electro pop and make the Postal Service comparison, especially with the amazing success of Give Up. But the thing is, Give Up worked so well because of the incredible complexity Jimmy was able to add to the infectious beats that complimented Ben’s voice perfectly.

Personally I find this duo more like Plastic Operator, but regardless of who they might sound like, when it comes to Hexes & Ohs, you can’t deny how impressive the vocal interplay between Heidi and Edmund is. They come off as sincere, playful and tight – basically all you can ask for, I just found the tracks were missing the little bit of muscle to really pull me in.

When they get the equation right – like they do on H-H-Highschool, Ship Going Down (Let's Go! Let's Go!), Looking to Fight or the incredible acoustic driven Not Arriving – you can’t help but get into the beat, but when you look at the 15-song effort as a whole, the missteps seem bigger and more crucial than the steady steps they normally use.