Peachcake

After years of unsettling ups and downs, Arizona-based Peachcake had a goal: release an inspiring and uplifting album filled with hope and positivity. Sort of makes you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, if you can ignore the gag reflex. Band members Stefan Pruett (Space Panda) and John O'Keefe (DJ JohnO) have had their share of shitty times — a run-in with the wrong booking agent and subsequent disappearance of O'Keefe, and the recent death of Pruett's younger brother (and former Peachcake keyboardist), to name a few. The pair took matters into their own hands, producing motivational performances and starting youth outreach programs before releasing What Year Will You Have the World?, a collection of springy, overly simplistic anthems of promise. The song titles are light and supposedly humorous — "Did I Just Do That, Or Was it Jim Carrey?," "Stop Acting Like You Know More About the Internet Café Than Me" and "Keep the World Safe, Tony Saprano." And that's the point for a band that apparently ooze passion but lack any seriousness. The repetitive structure of the songs and lackadaisical experimentation on the synths, coupled with monotonous vocal tones, leave the ears craving something with a lot more substance. Aspiring to make a difference in the lives of youths is a great idea. Attempting to do so through music? Maybe not so much.