Reviewed by Jon Cooper

It's never a good sign when the opening few bars of a new release from a Canadian three-piece feel like they should be used to soundtrack an advertisement for a furniture store's half-price sale. "Loco-Train", which kicks things off on this five-track EP, falls seamlessly into this category with its folky, highly-strung jangle and warm-glow lyrics ("You are my foot and I am your shoe"). More (well, two minutes' worth) of the same follows on "The Earth Is Dying", which thankfully stops short of acting on its threat to include a whistling solo , before "The Lions" resurrects the terrifying spectres of early '90s chart-hugging, faux-reggae loons like Pato Banton and Big Mountain, albeit thanks to some tight, funky and rather enjoyable bass-work. "I Left A Picture Of You Inside My Heart", which initially promises to keep the Maxi Priest vibe going, then promptly and inexplicably trades the funk for some ill-fitting, Bruce Hornsby-esque piano. Closing track "The Ghost Of Myself Facing You" is pure Daniel Bedingfield pop, right down to the Michael Jackson-like rasped-whisper vocal, swirling strings and skittering drum loop. Overall, this seems like a handful of songs from band still searching for the common ground amongst a mish-mash of influences.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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