Asa Cruz, on the other hand, concentrates equally on harmonies and melodies. Asa Cruz is two singers from the L.A. area who, with their respective bands, competed with each other for gigs and fans until deciding to join forces and create a third band that was based around the dual lead singers. They get extra harmony points for that. Their debut album, Pop Star , sounds like a mix of Echo and the Bunnymen, with a bit of the Psychedelic Furs added, and then a bit of the Smiths, too, for atmosphere. Then add a distinctly Duran Duran element to top it all off and you get a mellow but upbeat combo of all that has straddled the fence between so-called alternative and Top 40 for the last five years or so.
Pop Star is, for all the comparative derivativeness mentioned above, a surprisingly good album.
An unfortunate aspect to Asa Cruz is that very little distinguishes them from what came before. But this also works in their favor. By placing Pop Star into a market that is saturated with ambivalence, and even anger, towards pop pabulum, Asa Cruz can appeal to fans of yesteryear's musical trends. It's not retro in the sense of being nostalgia pop. They provide examples of pop can be.