The Veronicas Album: “Hook Me Up”

When you have such pop perfection as "4 Ever," a track that seemed almost solitarily responsible to the rise of teen rock pop, it is difficult to imagine any possible way to redefine yourself as an artist. Especially when there are two of you that look the same. Twin sisters Jess and Lisa Origliasso are The Veronicas, and after having taken the world by storm in 2006, return with their sophomore effort, Hook Me Up.

In the realm of stylistic changes, the shift from the rockier Meredith Brooks/Tracy Bonham The Secret Life Of... to the glam electro of Hook Me Up may seem, at first, an alienation of the fans garnered with the former album. One review I saw early on was a discontent fan clamoring about the complete and utter lack of guitars. What does that say to me? Listen to the damn album! The Origliassos haven't abandoned anything they did in 2006, with the exception of neglecting to work with Max Martin again. They've built on every single foundation they created on The Secret Life Of..., providing not only a more entertaining vehicle for their talents, but a more mature level of songwriting and expression of pain, loss, loneliness, and regret. From the first moment the album starts, the fine hairs of an expert bow sliding across taut strings that is the melodic opening of "Untouched," you know you're in for something different and special. "Untouched" is fast, both in BPM and in the way the twins vocally present the song, yet it proves once again that speed and pain are not mutually exclusive ideas. While the track begs and pleads with you to move along with it, it also implores you to be moved BY it, as the girls sing like, "I feel so untouched right now/ Want you so much somehow/ Just can't resist you/ It's not enough to say that I miss you." I am inextricably bound. The album's title track, which is also it's lead single, "Hook Me Up," is an electropop tune with a serious drive to the dance floor (check out Tommy Trash's vocal version, quite fun!).

The album is upbeat and fun, yet surprisingly adult and moody. Tracks like "Revenge Is Sweeter (Than You Ever Were)", "This Love," and "I Can't Stay Away" are all bittersweet in their lyrical content yet complete knockouts in musical delivery. "Revenge" hearkens back to The Secret Life Of... in that it features a more guitar-driven sound than a lot of the album, but maintains the flow and energy of the rest of the disc. Despite the content of the track, the song would be considered upbeat musically due to the high BPM and drum style. "This Love," the third Australian single off of the album, features a more straightforward synth-pop sound, even going so far as to emulate a-ha's "Take On Me" as the pivotal moment in the track. The last of my trio of favorites, "I Can't Stay Away," describes the addiction to a person, sexually, and the admission of that addiction. The song is powerful and moving, the Origliassos' vocals soaring over one of the slower songs on the album.

Hook Me Up features a bevy of other potential singles, all as good as the next, but I do want to point out one last one before leaving the rest a mystery. "Popular" at first seems like a random track, very atypical to the rest of the album. It is an extremely self-indulgent, tongue-in-cheek response to their own rapid rise in fame. With lyrics like, "And I get what I want/ My name is my credit card," you can see the humor within the lyrics. Upbeat, very poppy, but eventually the complete inanity of it grew on me and I now count it as one of my favorites. Don't discount this song due to the extreme contrast it poses to the rest of the disc or their previous material. Give it a shot, you might just like it.

Summary: Hook Me Up is a well-crafted and immensely enjoyable dance pop album and should continue The Veronicas reign as the reigning pop band. A winner.

I am already a big fan of The Veronicas, so when I heard they changed their sound from pop/rock to elctro/pop I wasn't sure if I would like it but then I decided to give it a chance and I love it!!!! The songs are very upbeat and fun to dance to. My favorites would have to be Untouched, This Love, I can't stay away, and Popular!!

I was a fan of veronicas and I believed they are the best twin ever. Their debut was a very unique rock with good written songs. I was expecting the same from their new sequel...oh no.

This album is not like their debut. It's a total pop. All the good rocks were gone. I am not sure if this is what they wanted. They had a very good drummer. This guy is really one in a million. But, no more real instruments in this album.

I am not saying this album is bad or what. Just disappointed when you are looking for the next rock album to stick with for next couple of years. Their songs are good, lyrics are good. Meaningful and catchy. They can keep their voice, or a little more mature now.

Overall these songs are good to have, when you don't have many choices on the market. I would be happy to have acoustic remixes however.

Favorites: Untouched, Hook me up.

If you're like me then `Untouched' is like totally one of the best songs you've heard in a long time. I mean, I can't help but be completely entrenched in my instinctive adoration of that song. Put it on, place me in the center of the dance floor and watch me be very, very happy.

Having said that; `Untouched' is not the best track on the album.

The Veronica's are a new delight for me. I have not heard their debut album, but I'm thinking I'm going to have to take a look (although I hear that it is very different from this one). I remember the first time I heard untouched. I actually saw the music video (on Fuse, since MTV no longer plays them) and I was blown away. Not only was the song great but the video was stunning and the two sisters singing side by side were DROP DEAD GORGEOUS! Needless to say, I was intrigued. I'm not one who walks out and buys an album because of one song, but two, now I'll do that. That's when I head `Take Me on the Floor' and I just KNEW that I had to have this album.

Thank you thank you thank you.

No, the album is not `perfect', but there is enough perfection on here to validate my ranting, I promise you.

I think `Take Me on the Floor' is probably my favorite club track on the album. It's just so slick, seductive and energetic. The girls have very similar yet very complimentary vocals and they mesh extremely well on this track. The bridge ("I wanna kiss a girl, I wanna kiss a boy") is exceptional and just gives me chills. I love these girls, really. `Hook Me Up' falls in the same vein as the two singles; very club ready and energy inducing. I love the bubble beat going on here, and chorus is very, very catchy. Speaking of catchy and club worthy' `Popular' is BRILLIANT. It has a very different vibe than the other tracks here. It's bouncy yet very sharp, hitting every word with every beat and creating an intense and impressive musical chemistry between the singers and the musicians.

`This is How it Feels' has a very jumpy beat. It's probably my least favorite of the `club' inspired tracks, but it still has value. It is the reason the album received an `explicit' sticker (which is rather ridiculous for ONE f-word). `Goodbye to You' was the first single off the album (at least I think it was beings that I heard this song FOREVER ago and just didn't know that it was sung by these girls). I love the bouncy `fun' factor that this song has. It's such a `teen' song, but whatever...I love it.

`This Love' has that similar `teen' bounce to it, but it is a softer track than `Goodbye to You'.

These girls really capitalize on their vocals on this album, proving that just because they don't release wildly creative or mature music, it doesn't mean that they don't succeed in what they do best. Be aware, this is intelligent pop music, which means that if you walk in expecting Britney Spears fluff then you're in for a very nice surprise, but if you are expecting something musically profound you will be let down a tad. If you know what you're going to get you'll be very satisfied though.

Think Kelly Clarkson with electronic influences.

There is a delicacy in `I Don't Wanna Wait' that I really like. The contrast of the edgy, almost fierce delivery in the verses and the sweet and vulnerable delivery in the chorus is played against one another very well. Speaking of vulnerability, `In Another Life' is another side of these girls; such a soft and sincere emotional ballad. As far as break up ballads go, `Someone Wake Me Up' is pretty accurate and effective. `All I Have' has a rock edge to it that stands out from the pack. It's one of my least favorite tracks here. It's not a bad song, but it lacks some of the elements that make the other songs stand out. My least favorite song here is `I Can't Stay Away'. I just don't like the awkward way they say those words. I don't know; small complaint but there has to be a least favorite song and that one happens to be it.

And then there is my favorite track on the album; `Revenge is Sweeter (Than You Ever Were)'. UGH, what can I say; I just LOVE this song. The pre-chorus is stunning, and the way their voices escalate as they reach "Revenge is sweeter than you ever were" is just drool worthy. The way they soft speak each word is lovely, and the way their words crack under the emotional connection (seriously, you know they mean this) is just impeccable. Yes, it's `pop' music, but it's pop music done extremely well!

So, if you want a pop album that stands out as better than average (MUCH better than average) then this is the album you need to get. I can't wait to see what these girls come up with next.

The Veronicas seemed to edge back into the scene this summer with the release of their string-infused pop track "Untouched", leading up to the release of their second album. Unlike most artists these days, 'Untouched' is actually pretty representative of what you get on the album - lots of hypercharged dance beats with a slight 80s tinge and very catchy, often-spoken lyrics. Gone are the days of the girls' quasi-whiny, chipmunky Avril Lavigne guitar-punky tunes. In their place is a great, electronic, catchy sound.

Aside from 'Untouched', other standouts include the snotty guitar-y 'Popular' and the the 80s-tinged 'Take Me On The Floor'. If you're still pining for the girls' old sound, 'Revenge Is Sweeter (Than You Ever Were)' is a nice halfway departure between the old and the new and another standout for me, 'All I Have' is another example of blending the old rockier sound with the new electronic style the girls have, but not quite as good as 'Revenge'.

The album is overall enjoyable - but there are definitely better songs than others. If you're a fan of bands like The Sugababes, Skye Sweetnam, or Ashlee Simpson's latest album, then you'll definitely like The Veronicas second effort. Although it's nothing particularly groundbreaking, it's entertaining, and a good, unique departure from the girls original sound.