For most music fans, a band name like Cash Cash probably provokes mental images of DJs, bling-flashing MCs, and bangin’ beats – and even though this New Jersey quartet delivers on that last front, and got its first big break from the DJs who turned “Party in Your Bedroom” into a dance hit, they’re actually a pack of power pop-dealing honkies whose sound has more to do with the Click Five than Lil Wayne. Obviously, wrapping rock guitars in a hard candy shell is nothing new; bands from Cheap Trick to New Jersey’s own Fountains of Wayne have tried to make a commercial go of it for decades, with spotty results (to say the least). But to their credit, Cash Cash manage to avoid a lot of the pitfalls that recent like-minded acts such as Swirl 360 and the aforementioned Click Five have stumbled into; their songs are pretty uniformly solid, for one thing, and although they rely heavily on programmed beats and trendy, analog-sounding synths, their sound isn’t quite as brightly colored as it could be – which is a very good thing, because it staves off ear fatigue long enough for the album to draw you in. The whole thing is decidedly lightweight, but it’s a lot of fun, and it bridges the gap between power pop, dance, and New Wave more successfully than, say, the Killers. During the dead of winter, relentlessly sunny tracks like “Your Love” should provide reason enough for plenty of repeat listens. (Universal Republic 2009)
