Bicycle's 1999 self-titled debut mixes bouncy pop melodies, quirky lyrics, heavy guitars and hip-hop beats into 14 entertaining and catchy sonic collages. Songwriter Kurt Liebert's sample-friendly, sunny songwriting style is definitely radio-friendly; songs like "Daisydunes.com" and "Bionic" are more complex than
Sugar Ray but less baroque than Beck; "Electrolux," "Fingerpainting" and "View of the Valley" hint at an affection for power-pop. As he tours several different styles of music within each song, Liebert wisely keeps the running time short - most of the tracks are under three minutes - so no particular side of
Bicycle wears out its welcome. ~ Heather Phares