SOMEWHERE ELSE

I had a feeling I was really going to like this one. Most of the negative reviews describe this as lacklustre and boring, which is also the way they descibe bands I love like FRAKTAL, BAUER and GAZPACHO. And yes this has some great atmosphere to it at times just like those bands. I like what they say in the liner notes "Thankyou for buying this cd, whoever you are. Anoraks Rule.Turn the cities into families. Make poverty history". Amen guys. Actually it's the lyrics in these songs that probably impress me the most about this recording, and they do do some preaching about saving our planet.

"The Other Half" has such a great sounding intro as they start things off perfectly. A calm 2 minutes in with piano, light drums and bass. Then Rothery offers up a tasteful solo as emotional vocals follow. Great section. More good guitar 3 1/2 minutes in. "See It Like A Baby" features reserved vocals as bass and percussion stand out. The song does get more passionate, and check out the almost mournful guitar solo before 3 1/2 minuites. Another excellent tune. "Thankyou, Whoever You Are" opens with piano but the focus is on the vocals on this one. A laid back guitar solo before 4 minutes from Rothery. "Most Toys" is a fun, catchy track with meaningful lyrics.

"Somewhere Else" is mellow with some cool atmosphere to it. Hogarth shines in an understated way. Atmospheric guitar 4 minuites in. This is so emotional, then 6 1/2 minutes in the emotion just pours out of the band. "Voice From The Past" features more atmosphere and is also laid back. Check out the lyrics to this one. Hogarth cries "Dead but alive". This is a powerful, meaningful tune. Rothery's guitar comes bursting in like tears down his face. "No Such Thing" opens with processed vocals and a cool guitar line. Drums follow. The lyrics seem sarcastic to me because I think they are true. Love this track. "The Wounds" has more brilliant lyrics, perhaps the best of the lot. A powerful song in many ways. "The Last Century Man" is a biting song lyrically that is really a wake up call to us all. It's all about the lyrics on this one. "Faith" is mainly acoustic guitar and fragile vocals. We do get some french horn before 4 minutes though.

A very mature effort from these guys, and a worthy follow up to "Marbles".