Review Summary: The second part of the Uneasy Listening double release, Uneasy Listening Vol. 2, although better than the first, is almost too long a compilation that only fans would be able to fully appreciate.
The second part of the Uneasy Listening double release, Uneasy Listening Vol. 2, although better than the first, is almost too long a compilation that only fans would be able to fully appreciate. This album is an improved version of Vol. 1. It has more unreleased tracks that keep the listener captivated and interested, and the demos and live versions of already released songs like “Buried Alive by Love”, “Pretending”, “Soul on Fire”, and “Right Here In My Arms” are some of HIM’s best.
Most of the time when a band releases a different version of an already released song it tends to be very bad and just plain boring, this is not the case in the album. These new versions and live performances are great, and to some they might be ever better than the original. A good example of this would be “The Beginning of the End”. Unfortunately, there are a couple of songs, like “Beautiful” and “Sail On”, that doesn’t achieve this just plain bad, coming across as bland and uninspired.
The unreleased tracks are very interesting and captivating, but this doesn’t mean that they are awesome. They give the listener a different face of the album. This is very well achieved by the song “Again”. It is fun and refreshing to listen to these types of demos and unreleased tracks, but there is a reason why they don’t make it to the actual album. Although they are good, especially for unreleased tracks and demos, they aren’t really anything special and unprecedented. Some of these songs might get boring after some listens, which takes a lot out of the album’s repetitive value.
Uneasy Listening Vol. 2, although a little too long for its own good, is a great multilayered compilation that is sure to keep the public interested and to make for an enjoyable listen (at least the first couple of times). HIM fans are going to be especially pleased with this release, and it will calm their desire for the upcoming album, which is taking a little longer than expected.
Rating:
HIM Fans: 3.5-4
General Public: 2.5-3
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This wasn’t easy to write because it is a compilation where a lot of songs are already release in other albums and I didn’t want to just repeat, even though these are live or different versions. If you want a better idea and more details about the already release songs you can check out the reviews of the other albums.
