The first single, “What Reason,” is a quick little ditty that has one of those tunes you won’t be able to get out of your head. “Conversation,” with its lush string arrangement, is a sure winner as well, bringing to mind Paul Buckmaster’s brilliant work on Elton John’s early albums. “Christine” is a rocking tune about a transvestite and his confusion; “Wasted At Your Wing” is a creepy, crawling track that invades your soul like a slice of lemon in a stiff drink: strong and confident, yet somewhat bitter.
“Once There Was a Girl” is another track that you won’t be able to shake. Those ever present crunching guitars drive this song steadily onwards, and let’s not forget the beautiful sounding drums provided by Gen Matthews throughout. Lead vocalist Chris Gordon has a very nice, solid, emotive voice that conveys his angst as well as his pleasure extremely well. His guitar work, along with that of Grant McFarlane, is a main staple of this disc, keeping each track grooving and rocking along nicely.
“Sycamore” is a great six-plus minute track that starts out delicately and ends up wailing, à la Guns And Roses in their prime. “Bear” finishes the disc on a sweet, solemn note. This less than two-minute tune, featuring solely a piano, is a beautiful way to end this very nice record. Like I said, pop rock with an excellent flair for harmony and lyric.
Stereodreamscene
(Reprise)
reviewed by j bloomrosen
