X Ambassadors Pretty Mild For A Renegade Bunch

Gentle flowing stream summarizes "Renegades", a track from Ithaca, NY sons X Ambassadors. I'm fairly certain affable background noise isn't what the band had in mind as a description. Putting it frankly there are a lot of household chores one could do, vacuuming excluded with "Renegades" playing. Maybe this could be young son's intro to music. In my mind the younger they start the better. We're not given much key variation either. Very warm notes designed to bring your defenses down after one of those pressure cooker days. Sam Harris, Casey Harris, Noah Feldshuh, and Adam Levin sound in sync vocally. The lyrics take us right to the flowing stream where we can let the sunlight wash across our tense bodies. From word one we're invited to frolic like nobody's business. "Run away with me, lost souls in revelry." The invite's tempting. The earnest lilt can't be questioned. However, I'm not sensing fresh terrain charted. If you're not looking for your sounds to bop you over the head but smooth out the angst a day of number crunching might give you then "Renegades" plays to your highly specific wants. Carefree youth spruces up the next two lines, namely "Running wild and running free. Two kids you and me." Anybody wanting a cuddly visual? Well then how about leaves being thrown up in the air only to watch them fall back down in true gaiety. See that's what "Renegades" can make happen in nanoseconds. You could pull out far worse meditation grooves. Imagine you and your significant other (or insignificant depending on how much action you guys got in the sack last night) out on a garden stroll. There'e the perfect light breeze blowing your hair strands around like a mischievous five year old who loves to tousle whatever he can get his hands on. The two of you give your best you've got my undivided attention stare. Then it's supreme lip lock time. As an added bonus why not throw in these X Ambassadors original lyrics "Long live the pioneers rebels and mutineers. Go forth and have no fear, come close and lend an ear," as the post kiss magic crystallizes. What? No lute being strummed. The most recently mentioned lyrics do bring up days of old when knights were bold. You'd think these dudes would entertain the thought of sporting jester's hats. Anyway, back to the bard dissecting at hand. One of the genres X Ambassadors is connected with is electronic rock. There isn't much electricity to boast about here. Only the implied waterfall, golden raindrops falling one by succulent one. "Living like we're renegades" sounds suspiciously like the day to day of many modern Americans. It was Tom Petty who said "You don't have to live like a refugee." X Ambassadors claims you ought to live like renegades. Excuse me while I stroke my long in the tooth goatee and wistfully concede how times have changed. What isn't working in X Ambassadors favor is that the sound is so light it doesn't compel you to want to join the merry renegades. By comparison Tom and band never failed to be aggressive in their message. I know. I know. That's like comparing apples to oranges but the delivery counts for a great deal. If you want a successful delivery put a little fire in the hole. "Renegades" projects more extinguisher than fire. Repeat jaunts don't appear likely. You shouldn't lull people to sleep in the process of taking them on some game changing voyage. They throw up a quaint backdrop but the potential appeal stops there. "Renegades" needed to cut loose the shackles. Instead we're left imprisoned and the results don't rise above dull roar.