By Jessica Miller
Staff Writer
It is evident that Maroon 5 no longer has “Moves like Jagger,” as the band’s latest album, “V,” proves to be a major disappointing.
Maroon 5 was formed in 1994 in Los Angeles while the members were attending high school at the private Brentwood School. The group is composed of Jesse Carmichael and PJ Morton on keyboard, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, lead guitarist James Valentine, drummer Matt Flynn, and lead vocalist Levine.
The band produced its latest record with the help of R&B singer Sia and producers Max Martin and Benny Blanco in an attempt to create more modernized pop music, straying from the band’s usual, classic style of pop music.
However, “V” is riddled with flaws, the most prominent being the over-emphasis on the topic of romance. Every track is focused on the subject of love, a topic already overused in today’s pop-genre and in the band’s past albums. The fact that it is the only focus in “V” makes the album all the more predictable.
Even worse, the lyrics prove unable to justify the repetitive subject matter and hinder the album even more with over-sexualized implications. With phrases like “baby I’m preying on you tonight” and “won’t you come and put it down on me,” the lyrics are unsettling with their focus on aggressive and graphic seduction. Although this shows the band’s attempt to differentiate this album from its others, it fails overall.
While the band does try to diversify its music with electronic beats, the effort is entirely ruined by Levine’s screechy, long-winded voice. His vocals are almost completely auto-tuned, which combined with Levine’s high-pitched voice, creates an obnoxious sound that drowns out Maroon 5’s experimentation with electronic synthesizers.
Maroon 5’s past successes make these flaws all the more upsetting. In “V,” the band fails to incorporate the lively spirit and catchy hooks which were major components in the success of Maroons 5’s previous albums.
Despite its flaws, the record should be recognized for its few hits. The band’s leading single, “Maps,” opens the album with an upbeat tempo and stimulating guitar rhythms, orchestrating the band’s clear instrumental talent. “Sugar” is the only other impressive song on the album, as the feel-good and gripping rhythm makes the song a party favorite.
These few gems, however, are still not enough to salvage “V.” Furthermore, the mess of uninspired topics and perverted lyrics is made all the more disheartening given that Maroon 5 previously set the standard for the pop genre. Unfortunately, “V” poses the concern that the band will have difficulty regaining its past talent.
“V” was released on Sept. 2 and is available for $9.99 both digitally and in retail.
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