Undistinguished alt-rock from Knoxville, the debut album by
the Big Tease distills three or four years' worth of popular bands into one faceless whole: for example, the title track shoots for downtown-hipster sleaze along the lines of
the Strokes, then "Know What You Know" attempts to capture the neo-wave anthemic choruses of
the Killers' hit singles, after which "Fact or Fiction" tries to mix a spiky
Franz Ferdinand guitar riff to a
Coldplay-like melody. So
the Big Tease certainly know their recent alt-rock radio hits, and they copy them with a certain youthful zest, but when it comes to writing memorable and original material,
Beautiful Addiction falls well short. This is the sort of stuff best left to the UT frat party circuit. ~ Stewart Mason