Peer Validated

With just a few more steps, “What the Hell Do I Know?,” could easily be a really good time, with big, bright hooks and bubble gum melodies. But Illinois knows better.

The four-piece, actually from Pennsylvania, skillfully weaves a certain gloomy melancholy into their otherwise shiny indie-pop songs. The result is a survey of emotions not unlike a less theatric version of Stars, with a good mix of guitar sounds, dramatic keyboards and heavily layered vocals.

Inconsistencies do arise throughout the album though, as each song seems like it might point the band in a completely different direction. “Nosebleed,” is a banjo driven ditty with handclaps and a fuzzy vocal effect, “Bad Day,” sounds like a copy and paste of The Eels’ “Susan’s House,” featuring a spoken word verse and a repeating chorus of harmonizing vocals, and lead singer, Chris Archibald, even goes as far as changing his voice for the guitar rocker, “One On One.” A fan might argue that these differences allow for diversity throughout the CD, but without a sound of their own, Illinois seems like a band that is hard to pay too much attention to at this point.

Inconsistencies set aside, “What The Hell Do I Know?,” does suggest the potential of a young, creative band. “One On One,” mentioned before, is one of the most immediately satisfying songs the EP, with giant guitar/keyboard licks and driving stop-and go sections. Three more of the band’s songs can be heard at www.myspace.com/illinois.