8. Crows on the Wire
This starts out with some guitar wailing over a low bass line and some random voice overs as the drums kick in. *very* strange intro, almost reminds me of Zaum (kudos to anyone who knows what I'm talking about). Finally, the song kicks into a driving, heavy 3/4 feel. It seems like the song is going to be a bit predictable, until...
the quiet break in the middle of the song. It sounds like a typical "get quiet for a bit and then go back to the hard part" type of idea, but then right when you'd think it would return, they suddenly bust out the acoustic guitar for a kind of Jethro Tull vibe, sans wind instruments this time. This then transitions into a new, progressive section, which finally gets back to the original theme. The ending is strange again, with a kind of...I dunno...odd guitar wailing.
9. I'm Not Waving
More of the jammy, chaotic type of sound like on the first couple of tracks. Although not bad on its own, IMO they overdid that sound a bit on this track, so that by the time you get this far, it sounds kinda old.
10. Flies
This starts out heavier than any other song on the CD, a definite change. The verses are a soft, hypnotizing acoustic 5/4. It builds slowly, with some cool harmonizing and an interesting bass line that comes in....almost sounds like a kind of Ryan Martini (Mudvayne) type of approach, but within a completely different context, obviously. Cool track.
11. Black Smoke and Mirrors
This song is alot like Feed Part 2, with acoustic guitars, a piano, and flutes, a nice contrast to the last track. Very exotic sounding and cool. This is a very dynamic track, with lots of changes and lots of different stuff going on...very progressive and sweet. There's a flute solo halfway through, which is a total tribute to Ian Anderson, including the little "yeahs" inbetween the rests. You could treat this as ripping Tull off I suppose, but I see it more as a tribute, as they don't really try to hide where the inspiration came from.
12. Time
The final track begins as a kind of upbeat acoustic song, sounding not particularly like anything else on the CD, which is cool!
This just proves that this band is full of surprises. The chorus is very emotional, introducing a piano accompanyment....awesome way of topping off a fantastic album.