CD: "How to Save a Life" by The Fray; Sony Records

Release: September 2005

Style: Pop rock

My take: On their debut full-length CD, Denver's The Fray, who play tomorrow at Star 101.9's fourth annual Band Camp at the Waikiki Shell, conjure up American adult- alternative music favorites such as Daniel Powter (of "Bad Day" fame) as well as Brit-rockers Coldplay.

The album opener, "She Is," has frontman Isaac Slade singing that "she is everything I need" and "she will bring me clarity." These aren't exactly ground-breaking moments in pop history, but they're inoffens-ive enough.

It's awkwardly interesting to hear Slade sometimes emit a Kurt Cobain-like snarl when singing along to the midtempo songs filled with keyboard swirls and com-mendable guitar solo.

"She Is" segues into the similar-sounding "Over My Head (Cable Car)," which was a moderate hit on local radio as well as on VH1. I started worrying at this point that this would become another one of those albums that kind of just plays on in the background with no real saving grace.

The album's title (and third) track — the band's second single — proved my suspicions of middle-of-the-roaddom right. The song was eerily reminiscent of "Over My Head" and had me scrambling for the "next" button on my iPod.

If The Fray is set on becoming the American Coldplay, they're on the right track, with their piano melodies and delayed guitars. There's nothing wrong with wanting to emulate one of the biggest bands on the planet. But just how should one feel about making music that's derivative of bands who have themselves admitted to ripping off U2 and Radiohead? Well, I'm sure The Fray came to grips with this a long time ago.

A lot of people will disagree with my verdict on "How to Save a Life." Sure, it's a nice drive-to-work listen, but I like music that attempts to go somewhere new. Many of my friends are pretty big fans of this album, and I can see why they would appreciate it, and these are the exact reasons why I detest it. I don't want an album that's ignorable background noise. Music should command attention, it should be moving — it shouldn't just meander.

To its credit, I'm sure "How to Save a Life" has been the soundtrack to many teenagers' make-out sessions, just like Keane's "Hopes and Fears" probably is (and which I also derided as boring).

If The Fray were from England, you can bet they'd be just another band lost in the Brit-rock crowd. They should thank their lucky stars that they're from the States. Otherwise, it would not have been such a feasible career choice to copy other bands and and write the same song 12 times and call it an album. I didn't think any band could ever out-bland Starsailor.

Joshua Huff is an intern at The Advertiser.