Straylight Run – Un Mas Dos (EP)
  1. Straylight Run
  2. Un Mas Dos (EP)
  3. Released Independently
  4. myspace.com/straylightrun

Straylight Run – Un Mas Dos (EP)

Having lost Michelle DeRosa, the band’s keyboardist, Straylight Run was left with the decision of where their music, formerly so heavily dependent on the mellow beauty of the piano, would now go. Whether it was a direct decision or a natural musical progression, “Un Mas Dos” takes this three-piece into much more rocking territory.

This will disappoint some, who are still waiting for the band to write “Existentialism on Prom Night Part Two,” but those who can appreciate new sounds will most likely enjoy this short EP. Intense and cynically upbeat, these three songs remind you that this is the same John Nolan who sang secondary vocals for Taking Back Sunday’s debut, “Tell All Your Friends.” However, it is not a regression to that older sound. It simply takes the old energy and uses it to help create a newer sound as the band begins a new struggle for identity.

The opening track, “Wait and Watch,” harnesses this energy in a way that keeps listeners on the edge of their seats, while maintain the classic jangly verse style found on older songs like “Dignity and Money.” The band experiments with electronic sounds on the third song, “Ten Ton Shoes,” which end up sounding a little awkward. Political, social, and personal commentary in the lyrics are generally biting and pessimistic, as expected, although they are also a bit more vague than usual.

Without having yet heard the next EP, I’m going to assume that this EP is a bit transitional, which would explain why things sound a little incomplete or like the band couldn’t decided what they wanted to be here. Hopefully future material will show that Straylight Run can indeed survive without Michelle, as I’m sure they can, since John has always been a great musician and lyricist. So even though this EP doesn’t show him at his best, I will not lose hope for the future, and I will expect the next release to be all the better after having worked through the stage of “Un Mas Dos.”

6/10

  • Post Info

  • Posted by: Eric
  • Posted on: Saturday, January 10th, 2009
  • Category: Album Reviews