Ludo's greatest strength--the one that got Island Records’ attention--is their ability to mix classic-rock excess with emo-leaning musings. Grander than Weezer yet more deeply personal than Queen, Ludo is probably the only band ever to have released a rock-opera EP (2005's Broken Bride).

While Broken Bride’s lyrics featured pterodactyls and zombies, Your Awful, I Love You stays almost exclusively personal, a decision that only works to the album’s advantage. There are a lot more double-entendres and complex personal dynamics in You’re Awful than on most emo albums, while still finding a place for room-shaking rock.

True, the lyrics can get sappy--some may dismiss the album after the lyric “Bitter and dumb/ You’re my sugarplum” in opener "Love Me Dead." But to do so would overlook one of the smarter emo albums in quite some time, establishing Ludo as a thinking man’s Jimmy Eat World.

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Band: http://www.ludorock.com

Label: http://www.islandrecords.com

Audio: http://www.myspace.com/ludorock