HOW STRANGE, INNOCENCE

So this is a reissue of Explosion's first effort, I suppose put back out to capitalize on the band's modest popularity. Apparently the band (to their credit) were not overly supportive of recycling this novie effort. And with good reason, as it is definitely not on par with their later work, and especially not nearly as inspiring as the brilliant Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place.

The twin guitars here give off the same type of positive vibe as their other works, but here the musicianship is quite plain and simple, particularly on the final four tracks. The repetition gets a bit monotonous after a while, and I failed to find much to distinguish one track from another, so it doesn't seem worthwhile to comment on each of them individually. Frankly, the guitar riff on the first track seems to be repeated with only very slight variation on every other song, with the modest exception of "Look Into the Air", which even manages to be lighter and more meandering than the rest.

Also, the drum/bass rhythm seems to be unintentionally out of synch with the guitars on a progressive frequency as the album wears on, and by the final track "Remember Me as a Time of Day" there doesn't appear to be any connection between the two.

I'd like to find something more positive to say about this album, largely because I think this is a band that has improved rapidly in the past half-dozen years, and shone particularly well on Earth is Not..., but this is not a strong album, and I don't think it is indicative of their later work or of their potential.

Definitely a disc for collectors and fans of the band only. Two stars.

peace