ENDGAME

LIKE WENDY had been putting out albums every year or every other year from 1998 until this their most recent release from 2005 (six albums), so i'm not sure if this project is completely done or just in a long hiatus. "Endgame" is different from the previous albums, especially vocally (as tszirmay has mentioned in his review) and it's not for the better. This doesn't connect with me really on any level which is strange because i've felt a connection even on their records that most fans dismiss.

"Mock Me !" opens with over 1 1/2 minutes of instrumental music then we get reserved vocals, piano and drums. Not a fan of this. A change for the better after 4 minutes and I like the rest of this track. "Radioactive Girl" features piano and reserved vocals before a minute as synths also join in. I like this one. It settles before 4 minutes as the guitar solos tastefully with piano and drums. "Subs" opens with that sound that subs make along with gentle guitar as vocals join in. A beat with guitar takes over then the vocals return. Not a fan of this one.

"Seventeen" has this relaxed soundscape with vocals. It's fuller 2 1/2 minutes in then a calm arrives 3 minutes in. Piano only 5 minutes in as reserved vocals arrive. It then picks back up. "Money For Monkey's" has these vocal melodies with guitar and drums before a minute. Synths follow then this melancholic passage takes over with stoic vocals and a beat. It picks up with mellotron then guitar as drums pound. Synths replace the guitar. "Moria" has this beat with laid back guitar.The tempo picks up 2 minutes in and then it gets heavier. A calm with piano a minute later. Vocals then mellotron return. "Endgame" sounds good 3 minutes in as the guitar solos over top as the sound gets heavier. Synths follow. It settles back with vocals 4 1/2 minutes in. It starts to build then settles back before 7 minutes as the tempo continues to shift.

Barely 3 stars and my least favourite LIKE WENDY album.