STRANGER & STRANGERS

4.5 stars. I have been giving this Ep a lot of airplay lately, it reminds me of my younger days when I would get a new cassette that I liked and I would play it to death.The first two songs remind me of the music I listened to in the early nineties like THE CURE and THE SMITHS only more upbeat.Then there is the only really prog song followed by an acoustic version of a song from their amazing "Goodbye To Dusk, Farewell To Dawn" album. I really like all four songs a lot.

"Softly There, Everywhere" is such an uplifting, fun tune.The guitar melody is so catchy and the vocals are just right, like sunshine to the ears. I have to say that these first two songs are mood alterating, it's impossible for me not to feel good all over. "Still Going Nowhere" is my favourite track on this 4 song Ep. Again they came up with such a cool, catchy guitar melody that comes and goes. Combine this with the vocals and i'm melted.The vocals are the highlight.

"Stranger & Strangers" is the longest song by far at over 14 minutes.This will appeal to the prog fans out there. Gentle vocals are almost speaking as keys and cymbals are barely heard. That changes quickly as a full sound arrives. The lazy guitar solo 2 minutes in with organ helping out before it ends is a treat. We get an organ melody that last for 3 minutes as light drums and bass fill out the sound with no vocals. Cool section. The guitar gets aggressive after 6 minutes as drums start to dominate the sound. We're rockin' now. "Hide Inside" is done acoustically here and although I do prefer the electric version from their debut album better, the meaningful words become more the focus on this version, so it works really well.

If your a fan of the band then this is a must have. I do like it a lot better than their first Ep.