I admit that after reading about Fancy Blood and its guest stars Davey Havok and Jade Pudget of AFI, I had already formed an idea of what I was in for: androgynous horror-screamo with hooks I would hate myself for admitting were catchy.

Was I right? Maybe half so. While this album may have a place with the Nightmare Before Christmas crowd, it isn’t nearly as dark as I expected. Melancholy, sure, but Fancy Blood is more a power-pop record than anything else. “No Boys in the Ballroom” kicked off the album and did have some typical shout-out choruses, but it had an undeniable energy that made me warm up to the band. There are definitely some surprises to be found here, like “Naomi,” which features a squealing synth to accompany its upbeat, indie-pop style. “The Sky and I,” which features Havok, sounds like a bloated take on a song that Angels and Airwaves may have left on the cutting room floor.

So I judged Fancy Blood by its cover and found myself to be fairly wrong. While the album is nothing truly groundbreaking, it covers more sonic territory than I expected and is certainly better than what I thought I’d get after my first impression.

(self-released, no address provided)