Youngstown Down For The Get Down Lyrics

On Down for the Get Down, Youngstown struggle to cling to the remaining available bits of the Backstreet Boys' and 'N Sync's coattails. The trio grabs tight to a fistful of fabric with the opener "Machine." With its punctuating, industrial-lite guitar treatment, it holds its own against the Backstreet's "Larger than Life" or 'N Sync's "Bye, Bye, Bye." Further, the songs fold in strands of electronic blips and bleeps that promise surprises later on. But halfway through the second track, "Float Away," it's already evident that Youngstown has fallen victim to an overly enthusiastic producer. The fundamentally solid melodies are mired in an impossible tangle of sampled sounds, slippery, scattered rhythm patterns, and more instrumentation than you can shake a synthesized orchestra at. The boys can probably sing, but their vocals are never on display. Rather, harmonies and emotional overtones are compressed into a one-size-fits-all volume (and it doesn't help that all the lyrics are directed to "girl" and "baby" in a most uninspired context). As an album intended for the under-voting-age set, it isn't fun, inventive, or particularly danceable. With luck, next time out Youngstown will find a creative team that will consider their voices more than an afterthought. --Beth Massa