Review Summary: Prepare To Be Wrong was just the beginning. Welcome, one and all, to Straylight Run at their finest.
With their second full-length and major label debut, The Needles The Space, Straylight Run are poised to set the music world alight. From start to finish, it is abundantly clear how far this band have come since the summer of 2003 and their original online demo. The new album continues the experimental theme of Prepare To Be Wrong [EP] and grabs the listener from the opening track.
Highlights include the cheerful vibe of 'The Words We Say', hard-hitting piano based 'Take It To Manhattan' and the experimental drum loops of 'How Do I Fix My Head?'. With an album featuring no less than six extra instruments including a clarinet, mandolin and trombone, there really is something for everyone. There's upbeat ('The Words We Say'; 'The Miracle That Never Came'), somewhat slower ('This Is The End') and acoustic ('Buttoned Down'; 'Cover Your Eyes') for your listening pleasure this time around. And pleasure it certainly is.
Fans of Michelle will be pleased to know that her vocals feature more prominently on this album than their previous releases, with brother John Nolan complementing her style perfectly.
Straylight Run are one of the pop-rock/indie scene's most exciting new bands. Soaring piano melodies combine with some of the most interesting guitar work and percussion around at present. If you buy this and don't like it, hell, I'LL give you your money back.
