Ministry of Love

For a band not too far removed from high school, you'd think Ministry of Love might have paid more attention in English class. In George Orwell's 1984, the Ministry of Love was the building where Winston Smith was interrogated, tortured, and brainwashed. Not exactly the epitome of "love." Considering the intentionally ironic title of their namesake, you'd be forgiven for expecting this Las Vegas five-piece to churn out music similarly at odds with their name, like death metal, grindcore, or, perhaps, gangsta rap. Instead, Ministry of Love sounds like, well, pretty much what you'd expect a band named "Ministry of Love" to sound like if you'd never read Orwell's dystopian novel. MoL's melodic female vocals and catchy, emo/pop-punk guitar riffs hardly inspire Orwellian dread. If the songs and videos on the band's MySpace page represent a Cliffs Notes version of their live performance, this promises to be a fun, high-energy show. At the very least, it should be way better than getting your head shoved into a cage full of hungry rats.