The Wild Strawberries began their career not unlike a wild strawberry - sweet sounds and pretty pictures, making sunny acoustipop that appeals to the early '90s crowd. Amazingly, Ken Harrison and Roberta Carter Harrison are still at it. Should they be? Half of the album will suggest the affirmative, while other moments suggest they should pack it in. That's what makes Deformative Years ever so slightly frustrating. On recent releases, the duo have taken to using trip-hop sonic references, adding layers and moods to the material that helped the group grow artistically without immediately alienating their fans. On Deformative Years, there's some of that - "Waiting for the Future," "No Way To Break My Heart" - as well as some material that harkens back to the earlier days ("Drink You Down."). All these songs work well because the songwriting is still solid. On other songs, however, downtempo beats, synth swooshes and even "synth rock" a la Garbage seems to be a replacement for songwriting; the more bland the song, the more tricks on the tracks. It's weak camouflage at best, and unfortunate, since so much of the album proves they still have talent. Maybe the Strawberries should stick to releasing E.P.s instead...?

By James Hayashi-Tennant
Apr 17, 2005