MellowdroneBoxRating: * * * Label: 3 Records/Red Ink

Mellowdrone, the L.A.-based quartet, brings synthetic pop-meets-indie rock to the music scene through its debut album Box. Although this is not an original mix, touching on bases The Killers, Eels and Ours have already touched on, it adds its own twist with unconventional lyrics and an energy that is undeniable.

Jonathan Bates, lead singer and songwriter, formed Mellowdrone back in 1999. Since the start of the band, Bates has made friends with big names in the music industry like producer Tony Berg and toured with co-founding guitarist of The Smiths Johnny Marr, who has helped the band emerge from small gigs to a tour that included stints with bigger bands like Phantom Planet and The Killers. In 2005, the band signed with the 3 Records/Red Ink label.

The band combines energetic ’80s beats with an early-’90s rock sound, creating an album you can dance to or just listen to while you are driving home from work. Although this is the case with most of Mellowdrone’s songs, it is not the case with all of them.

“C’mon Try A Little Bit” sounds like it belongs in one of the party scenes in a sci-fi movie like The Matrix, with the majority of the song being instrumental and the soft presence of a chorus as provocation for thought. This is not a very musically impressive song to say the least, but no worries — the majority of the album makes up for the songs like “C’mon Try A Little Bit” that are on the lacking side.

Mellowdrone adds a special quality to what would otherwise be ordinary music with its sarcastic and sometimes unusual lyrics, and we all enjoy a bit of sarcasm now and then. The first time you listen, the songs might not hit home for you, but if you pay close attention to the lyrics, just about anyone can relate to one of its songs.

In “And Repeat,” Jonathan Bates gave the song a sarcastic tone by describing what seems to be an ex-lover in a mockingly good light, “You’re just so amazingly cool/ ‘Cause someone wrote a song about you/ Oh please, can I shake your hand …/ What did I do to deserve you?” Even though Bates wrote this about a record executive, anyone with an ex can apply the sardonic tone of the song to an old significant other that proved to be not-so-significant, or that high and mighty know-it-all boss.

From foot-smacking beats to sarcastic lyrics, Mellowdrone is a band that is gaining edge. This album is not for those who enjoy non-explicit or poetic lyrics; you won’t find either. But if you want humorous choruses mixed with electric chords and beats, then don’t wait, Box is right up your alley.