It may be a little too late to apologize, but is it too late to get a refund? “Dreaming Out Loud,” released on November 20, is the first album from OneRepublic, the Los Angeles alternative rock quintet.

Since the summer of 2006, OneRepublic has been on the Myspace top artist list, without an album release.

“Dreaming Out Loud” is passable—and that’s being generous. It starts off with “Say (All I Need),” which drones on with the phrase “Do you think you can find it?” in a high annoying falsetto.

The seventh track on the album, “Tyrant” sounds like U2 gone bad. The edgier rock is out of their comfort zone. Lead vocalist Ryan Tedder’s vocal quality is lost as he yells the chorus.

Songs like “Goodbye Apathy” and “Won’t Stop” lack energy and are just plain lifeless. They are a waste of thoughtful lyrics as sheer boredom prevents them from being heard which is a common thread throughout the album.

Tedder’s vocals are fair—nothing extraordinary. His voice is clear, but there is nothing that would distinguish his voice from any other voice out there. He has a falsetto better than many current artists, but even his vocals cannot save the album since the songs themselves are boring beyond belief.

In a world of The Fray wannabes, OneRepublic has a difficult time standing out. Working with Timbaland paved the road for OneRepublic, but they couldn’t stand on their own. “Dreaming Out Loud” is mediocre at best and that will not help them stand out. OneRepublic is very similar to the Goo Goo Dolls and Something Corporate, but OneRepublic is inferior when it comes to profound lyrics. Repetition is a common thread throughout the album as choruses are repeated incessantly. It seems as though they run out of things to say so they repeat the chorus again and again until the song is over three minutes.

As could be assumed, “Apologize” is the only redeeming quality on the album. It has meaningful lyrics and a catchy melody, but the other songs fail to incorporate either element. The band’s first single, “Apologize” has already gone two times platinum. The second single for the album will be “Stop and Stare.”

There was much hype regarding the release of their first album. While die-hard fans may be pleased, “Dreaming Out Loud” is an utter disaster. Hopefully they will get the opportunity to try again. But do them a favor, “Stop and Stare” so you can see why they need to “Apologize.”