Comnbinations - Eisley

It's clear from the onset that the band's second album sees Eisley "growing up" to a certain extent. But indeed whilst the playfulness that abounded on Room Noises is perhaps missing to a certain extent, the music is as good as ever. It also retains that somewhat "out there" vibe that permeates their best work with the feeling that you never can quite be sure what's coming next.

Thankfully, "what comes next" is usually very good indeed. From the opening, almost Muse-like, rock track Many Funerals to the gentle closer If You're Wondering this is a constantly delightful album.

The real stand out tracks include Invasion, which is another Muse-esque rocker, the pop-tastic Taking Control and Ten Cent Blues, which may well be the best of the lot.

Ok, so there is the sense that you could categorise the entire Eisley output in the terms of "this sounds like Band A" and "this sounds like Band B" and such is the wide scope of musical endeavour throughout this album that you find yourself finding that the album doesn't quite hang as a cohesive whole. But those are minor problems when the end result is so joyous and uplifting. At once commercial and distinctly uncommercial the contradictions on show during the album, to me at least, only make the album all the more impressive.