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An excerpt of "Lost the Plot" from The Plus Ones: Oh Me of Little Faith (Insubordination Records)

Imagine Weezer, or better yet The Gravel Pit, laced with sweet-as-can-be female backing vocals. Or ponder the concept of Letters To Cleo with a male lead singer. Think Rainer Maria with less quirky drastic turns. If these ideas appeal to you, buy Oh Me Of Little Faith immediately. It’s true The Plus Ones don’t deliver anything revolutionary on their fourth album and, at times, the sound is a little generic (like the commercially viable pop-punk and emo bands that have cracked the code to get on the radio). Still, Oh Me Of Little Faith is dense and compressed with big, in-your-face production that focuses on accentuating the songs’ accessibility. As damning as that may sound, there are a few things that prevent The Plus Ones from blending into the endless stream of mediocre music constantly being released. First, it’s nearly impossible to deny how stubbornly the hooks on this record stick in your head. Second, the vocal talent in the harmonies layered throughout the album is obvious, displayed most impressively on the breakdown in “She’s Not A Metaphor” and chorus of “Don’t You Dare.” Third is the considerable thought and wit bassist/vocalist Joel Reader invests in his lyrics. For example, on “Suicide Pact (You First),” Reader sings, “Forge ahead/ and when you’re dead I’ll follow you/ at least as far as you know,” and “I’m anxious, you’re cursed/ so let’s do it, you first.” On “Sweetness And Light” and “Don’t You Dare,” Reader removes his tongue from his cheek to provide honest, inspiring words that stop short of becoming trite or overly sappy. Reader's lyrics only falter toward the end of the record with the song “Direct Quote.”