THE WORLD THAT WE DRIVE THROUGH

Enjoyable, but generally underwhelming follow-up to the terrific surprise of Music That Died Alone. I attribute this to the ambitious songwriting, which is neither as exciting or interesting as their previous release, and the VERY preachy lyrics and theme of the album-- which makes it sound very much like a TFK record.

The Winning Game sounds like a TFK outtake while the two extended pieces are a muddled mixture of styles and ideas which can't quite get off the ground. By the time the title track reaches its half-way point I was very bored with Andy Tillison telling me about how frustrated he is with the vacuous nature of society (I already know). Gap in the Night is utterly directionless, contributing only to Roine's ego. Skipping the Distance is the most enjoyable song on the album, if only for its direct delivery and enjoyable feel, but the album as a whole has a bloated, pretentious feel to it which doesn't sit well with me.

Still, it's impossible not to acknowledge the fine musicianship here, which will more than likely appeal to fans of TFK, but for those who hate these Swedish Christian rockers and found something retro-unique in The Tangent, World That We Drive Through is a a bit of a let down.

Songwriting: 3 Instrumental Performances: 4 Lyrics/Vocals: 2 Style/Emotion/Replay: 2