Um. The cover "art" is downright awful, but couldn't the music have made up for that? I was expecting sophisticated, edgy power pop with a healthy infusion of rock. Well, Foreign Film Or Tango Dance? is certainly a pop-rock album, but a rather unimpressive one. The album has a bit in common with the 'jangly' sound of early late '70s/early '80s acts like Cheap Trick, Greg Kihn, The Knack — only more textured, natch — or even Utopia at their most accessible. Present are spur-of-the-moment vocal melodies and compositions that are light on complexity yet heavy on that boppy, airy feel that marked so much of the '80s mainstream—"Illusion Town" being a perfect example. In other words, the decidedly retro Pushing Red Buttons embraces a dated sound the way many current chrono-retro prog bands do; the problem is that a lot of the fluffy, economical-sounding rockin' new wave groups from several decades ago aren't all too memorable in the same way that currently popular acts like The Vines — one of many acts who cop the pared-down garage sound of '70s pop-punk and write short thrift, formulaic tunes — won't age too well, either. However, it's all in the ear of the beholder. There are people who love this style, and tunes like "Yoyo" and "Tad" (one of the better tracks on the album) aren't bad, but "Girls Gone Stupid" is just silly. Your mileage may vary, more so lyrically than musically.
Tracklist:
1. Tripping Over a Four Leaf Clover (4:13)
2. Illusion Town (3:27)
3. The Man Behind (3:15)
4. Yoyo (3:45)
5. Girls Gone Stupid (2:36)
6. I'll Tell (3:14)
7. The Right Side (3:11)
8. All Of This And More (3:46)
9. Tad (3:10)
10. M.A.W. (Model/Actor/Whatever) (2:00)
11. Love Jihad (5:25)
— Bonus Track —
12. Something Left For Me (2:30)
Total time: 41:59
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