Play 90 second soundbite of 'The Way' @ 'CD quality'
'The Way' opens with a slick groove that has definite growing tendencies. It's typically British in feel and is a good worker. 'Belief' has a heavier groove but somehow lacks a bit of polish; it doesn't flow as well as it could and is a little difficult to get into for that very reason. 'My Life' has a hooky guitar riff running through it but it's naive feel leaves my a little unsure of quite where it's leading. 'Here We Go' brings things to punchy end. More up-tempo than its predecessors its quite raunchy in a simplistic way.
This work has a very understated feel to it; the rhythm section do exactly what is required of them - just enough to avoid cluttering the vibe. The guitar work maintains a low key role and is never allowed to take over. Even in the gutsier passages these guys stay true to form and never get carried away. Vocally there's a pretty loose feel; not the best vocal work I've ever come across but sufficient and reasonably effective. The overall feel of the four tracks borders on 'live'. I don't think there's very much added to the original mix - this sounds pretty much one take stuff. Hey, that's fine to a point but I do feel that Strange World could do with just a bit more depth and instrumental emotion.
'The Extended Play' by Strange World is an ok introduction to three guys who, I feel, have more to offer. It feels as if Strange World lack just a little courage and hold back too much - a touch of inertia creeping in maybe. Certainly, these tracks could benefit from some more innovative mixing just to bolster the feel and add some meat. Saying all that, I get the impression that Strange World actually want to keep it simple and prefer the sort of lo-fi thing that's present here. My gut instinct though says that Strange World should take it up a notch and have some more fun.
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