Customer Reviews

The Night Before

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Although this is just a 7-song EP James seems to take things more seriously on this record and now they try to sound a bit more mature and consistant than before. It seems also that James took some time working out the sound of this record to come up with something a bit more glorious... kind of like a U2 record. Enviromental moments, solid instrument arrangements and lyrics that we could think Booth took from Bono's private notebook. I find "Porcupine", "Crazy" and "It's hot" the best well made tracks on the record while the rest do their job by sounding like the James we all know. Looking forward to "The morning after". It is a shame that a band like James, which has been around for QUIET a long time already, hasn't been recognized as they should be. They deserve a place in the rock and roll hall of fame.... wheter some people like it or not.

My initial review (after 1-2 listens) failed to appreciate the fine craftsmanship of most of these songs. Songs like "Porcupine" and "Hero" really begin to shine after you've listened to them a few times. Now, I see that the songs are finely tuned and are at the upper end of the spectrum for their entire catalog. Think a leaner, more disciplined "Millionaires." Polished and fluid with catchy hooks and melodies. Very smooth and intelligent music that makes you want to move. The overall production is cleaner, more precise, and more sparse than "Hey Ma" which sometimes sounded gauzy and dense. A solid grade of B+, which isn't bad for an "experimental" EP that hopefully is just an appetizer for "The Day After." I wasn't initially thrilled, but I have grown to be quite pleased with it(unlike Keane's new EP, which is terribly disappointing).