Paloalto's first record sounded so much like Bendsesque Radiohead that it was hard to know how to judge it. At the time Radiohead had taken their 180 with Kid A and for those who longed for the Radiohead of old it was almost like a Godsend. I grudgingly accepted the record on it's own merits and gave it a rating of 4, because, despite it's overtly derivative sound, the songs were strong enough to stand on their own.

On Heroes and Villains the California pretty boys don't deviate much from this formula. Producer Rick Rubin smoothed over some of their rougher edges, and the record has it's fair share of strong tunes full of catchy riffs and sing-a-long choruses, but the album suffers from too much same-ishness from track to track. Instead of growing and moving beyond their Radiohead shadow, Heroes and Villains plays it pretty safe. Still it has enough charm, songs such as "Fade Out/In," "Running Home," and "Last Way Out of Here," prove that these guys are more than just a Radiohead tribute band and demonstrate a promising future. So far I'm willing to continue to champion these guys, but I think their next album will be their defining moment.