Thrashing Doves - Trouble in the Home (2003)

"I'm having a ball/doing nothing at all" exclaims Thrashing Doves vocalist Ken Foreman on "Angel Visit." Unfortunately, the generic late-'80s alternative pop on Trouble in the Home makes it difficult to share in his enthusiasm. The Thrashing Doves' 1987 debut album, Bedrock Vice, emptied one hook after another; on Trouble in the Home, the group has run out of gas. Aside from "Angel Visit" and "Lorelei," nothing really grabs the ears. "Angel Visit" sounds more polished than the tracks on Bedrock Vice, but it has a lively beat and witty lines like, "I don't want to go to the store/to get more of what's making me dizzy." "Lorelei" is a pretty ballad with a slight country feel. The Thrashing Doves seem uninspired on Trouble in the Home. The band has become louder, but sadly less quirky as well. Bedrock Vice was so intoxicating because of its arty combination of new wave jangle and jubilant keyboards. On Trouble in the Home, the Thrashing Doves try to mutate into a rock group, and they fail. "Reprobate's Hymn" and "Sister Deals" epitomize the band's inability to kick out the jams. Since Bedrock Vice didn't sell in the U.S., perhaps Trouble in the Home was the Thrashing Doves' attempt to seduce an American audience. It was a futile courtship.