Review Summary: This album is an original and beautiful achievement. The full album will be one of my most anticipated for 2012
If you bought or downloaded this album because you wanted to get an indication of what lead singer Josh Klinghoffer would sound like as a lead singer of a Red Hot Chili Peppers-Style band then you are in for a shock. I had fair warning beforehand that this band are NOTHING like RHCP, and I must say I am glad for that fact as Dot Hacker succeed in creating an original, well textured and overall brilliant sound on this EP. There are no shredding guitar solos or pumping basslines on this EP, everything is very laid back and variates from minimal to epic. In four songs we have a very diverse selection of music before us. Opening track *Inhibitions* is a brilliant slow paced chilled out piece of music that literally explodes at the end like a ray of sunlight after a storm. Klinghoffer's vocals are amazing on this album and he establishes himself as an impressive singer throughout this EP. Things take a U-turn on the next track *Order/Disorder* an equally brilliant faster number that showcases a louder and more aggressive side to the band. The next track *Eye Opener* is my favorite song on the EP, a laid back song that is the vocal and instrumental highlight of the album. Guitars interlock over cool reverb, all brought together with a tight rhythm section and Klinghoffer's falsetto vocals. The final song *Rewire* is the perfect way to end the EP. It gathers elements from all of the other styles found in the EP and blends them together. The result is a beautiful vocal harmony over a solemn instrumental section which finds legs and runs halfway through. Klinghoffer's vocals are often hard to understand on this EP, which leaves the imagination to decipher his lyrics. But it isn't hard to pick up on the subjects of each song by the mood shown in it. Overall, the lyrics play a less important role than the rest of the band as the band focuses on its instrumental qualitys rather than the message of the song itself. This EP is brilliant, almost flawless in my opinion. I will not compare it to RHCP albums because it is a different breed of music altogether. I am excited to see where this band goes and am waiting in anticipation for the album that is expected later in 2012
