Hopewell - Beautiful Targets (CD) |

Imagine a more power pop version of the Electric Light Orchestra, with a hint of the Police thrown in, and you'd have something like the sound Hopewell approximate on Beautiful Targets. Those references might serve as either a zesty recommendation or a sober warning, depending on your tastes. It can't be denied, however, that it's well-crafted pop/rock with serious echoes of the 1970s in its hooks, occasional dramatic orchestration, deft insertion of keyboard licks, and assertive high male vocals. The wistfulness of the arching melodies and general conscientious attention to production and songwriting craft will also bring to mind British aces in those departments like Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, and (more faintly) Ray Davies. The arrangements might be more impressive than the songs themselves, which like some of McCartney's and Lynne's can be more interesting for their melodic ingenuity than their emotional or intellectual content. Still, it's a varied menu of pop/rock that's inventive (and out of step with the trends) enough to place it closer to alternative- and indie-minded pop than the early 21st century mainstream, though it might have fit in just fine on commercial radio about 30 years earlier.- Richie Unterberger

• Format Detail: CD
• Format: CD
• Label: Tee Pee Records
• Catalog Number: CD-TPE-900802