Theatrical Canadian rockers
Marianas Trench continue to go big on
Astoria, their third concept album and fourth LP overall. Since going platinum with 2011's
Ever After, the Vancouver-based quartet have kept a high profile on both sides of the border, with bandleader Josh Ramsey drawing additional attention as the producer of
Carly Rae Jepsen's 2012 international smash hit "Call Me Maybe." With the stakes raised and anticipation high, the band has poured everything they've got into an ambitious, '80s-fueled romp of high adventure with a dazzling array of musical and pop culture references. The Astoria of the album's title is the seaside Oregon town where
Richard Donner's beloved 1985 movie The Goonies took place and
Marianas Trench play to the film's mix of whimsy and wonder with cinematic orchestral themes, plot allusions, artwork featuring treasure maps, and the bandmembers dressed in Goonies character garb. Musically, they still fall somewhere between the anthemic pop-punk of
Fall Out Boy and the slick, funky pop of
Maroon 5, but their occasional
Queen-like vocal aspirations and determination to quote about a dozen different '80s hits within the album's context makes
Astoria a pretty entertaining ride. Beginning with the complex, overture-like title track, they pepper their songs with nods to
Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" ("Astoria"),
Kenny Loggins' "Footloose," ("Yesterday"),
Bananarama's "Cruel Summer" ("This Means War"), and
the Police's "King of Pain" ("Wildfire"), among other chestnuts. Fortunately, these references generally come off as lighthearted tributes rather than stolen goods and help to buoy the album when the band's pretensions get the better of them. The orchestral interludes, while nicely arranged, make the 17-track
Astoria feel about five songs too long, and the band's tendency to include every creative idea they come up with takes some of the luster off the tracks that actually work. The album has its flaws, for sure, and is anything but subtle, but
Marianas Trench are an ambitious lot with a good pop sense and when they're on, they can be a lot of fun.