This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Love, huh? Well now, there’s an original, unexplored topic for an album.
Thankfully, what Pennsylvania quintet The Juliana Theory may lack in thematic innovation or catchy titles, they at least attempt to make up with musical creativity. Starting from an emo-rock base, singer Brett Detar and co. incorporate a variety of styles and sounds — the crunching anthems, seething anger and melancholy swirl of Smashing Pumpkins; the power-pop balladry of Cheap Trick; the hip-hop fuelled testosterone swagger of legions of alt-metal bands; and plenty of radio-ready songcraft just to ice the cake. Whether or not you hear all that as refreshing and dynamic or derivative and pointless likely depends on how much time you spend rocking out to FM radio. But whether or not Love is all you need, it shouldn’t be too hard for them to come up with a more original title for their next disc.
