Prepare to Be Wrong [EP]

Straylight Run | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 4, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: EP
• Label: Victory Records
• ASIN: B000B5XZYW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,220 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straylight Does It Again, November 3, 2005

By 

Long Sideburns "'Burns" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prepare to Be Wrong (Audio CD)

Straylight Run strikes again with their newest CD, "Prepare to Be Wrong EP." This CD is the follow-up to their first full length self-titled album. Anybody who has listen to the self-titled album will not be disappointed with the new EP. While the two CDs contain different songs, they are alike in many ways.
The self-titled album contains a big flair for repetition, which adds to the effect the song has upon the listener. Repetition of the lyric "you can't go home again" in the song "Mistakes We Knew We Were Making" draws the listener into the song and helps them relate to the fact that things and people change. In the song "It's For the Best," the lyric "we're moving forward, but holding ourselves back, and we're waiting on, something that will never come" is constantly repeated in order to hammer the point across that the past is not worth living in, and it also adds to the emotional affect of the entire album.
"Prepare to Be Wrong" also uses repetition to strengthen its emotional emphasis. In "Later That Year," Straylight strengthens their position against war with the repetition of "we did the math, it wasn't worth it after all" and brings an anti-war feeling to any ear listening to the song. The slow, melodic song "A Slow Descent" uses the lyric "it's only a matter of time" several times to increase the impact of the song's point that not everything always works out for the best.
Straylight Run also has many varieties of instruments on the two albums. Songs like "The Prefect Ending," "Existentialism on Prom Night," and "Now It's Done" from the self-titled album use a heavy dose of the keyboard to get the emotions rolling. A slow, steady beat on the drums and guitar are used in other songs like "Sympathy for the Martyr" make listening to Straylight Run like being on cloud nine.
The EP also uses a variety of instruments in addition to the aforementioned drums and guitar. The use of a tambourine along with the drums in "It Never Gets Easier" adds to the rich sound of the song. The bells used in "Later That Year' are used to strengthen the repetition of the emotional lyrics. However, the keyboard is again the biggest contributor to Straylight's music. The song "With God on Our Side" would be nothing more than spoken words without the rhythmic use of the piano keys.
All these similarities between the two albums add up to a phenomenal compilation of songs. From the emotional songs off the self-titled album to the anti-war songs of the EP, Straylight Run shows off their true and unique potential with these touching ballads. For any fan of an Alternative/Rock/Pop/Emo/Punk sound, Straylight Run is a must listen.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful..., November 27, 2005

By 

PSM/Bokor (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prepare to Be Wrong (Audio CD)

There are some genuinely beautiful songs on this CD. Straylight left me wanting more, and more I will get. I agree with another reviewer's one word synopsis, "Wow."

The lyrics are exceptional in a minimalist way. Repetition blended with nicely orchestrated music made for some emotionally powerful songs. I didn't necessarily agree with some of their politics, but it didn't diminish the experience.

Straylight is more than a band creating music; they create a feeling/a mood. This stuff is very powerful. It's refreshing...

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Really disappointing., December 11, 2005

By 

katie (Santa Cruz, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prepare to Be Wrong (Audio CD)

I adore Straylight, I've more or less "followed" them since their inception, and they put on one of the best live shows right now, easily. In terms of recordings, though, it's been pretty much downhill since their very first release of the demo versions of the original 6 songs (one of which is "A Slow Descent" from this EP). The demos were well-worked-out songs, but they also maintained a really raw energy. By the time some of those songs made it onto the album, the overproduction sometimes flattened out that original energy and made the album versions tepid -- but at least the songwriting was really strong.

Now it's the opposite problem. This EP sounds like it's unfinished; the only song that really stands up is "A Slow Descent," which it should since they've had that one in the vault for several years. The other songs just weren't ready to be released. A lot of the lyrics are painfully sophomoric (especially "It Never Gets Easier"), and even so, they're really repetitive, like John had worked out a couple of lines he liked but not really worked them up into fully structured songs yet. In terms of the production, it sounds like it was recorded in John's bedroom (oh, and it partly was, according to the liner notes), and that's not entirely a bad thing. It's not overproduced at all, and John even manages to get some moments in here where he's channeling his old energy/rawness/engagement again. But overall, this EP just sounds like it wasn't ready to be released, and I'm not sure why they rushed to do it. Better, tighter songs and a bit more polish would have helped immensely.

Oh, the songs. "A Slow Descent" is a solid song, but it's already been out in various forms for awhile. "Hands in the Sky (Big Shot)" is OK: the lyrics are not subtle or interesting, but it's got great energy and it builds really well. Michelle's intro song "I Don't Want This Anymore" is, again, lyrically "meh," but her voice is gorgeous and it sounds nice. The cover of "With God On Our Side" is incredibly ill-advised: it's by-the-numbers, it's entirely enervated and listless, and it's unnecessarily long. The person who said that this EP has a bit of a "Christian rock" feel to it is, unfortunately, really right. And what is this shallow pseudo-political gesture? It's ill-considered, easy, and cringe-inducing. John should stick to what he does better: raw and screamy and not trying to be all "wise" about the government all of a sudden, especially if it's going to come out in such silly, predictable lyrics.