Review Summary: Where Ambition and Experience converge
This is arguably the first solid and cohesive release from Plus Minus. With two albums under their belt, I think it made sense to make the next leap a small one with an EP.
Their earlier offerings consisted of a scant few gems lost in a sea of well-crafted flops. The mixing was clean, the instruments were well played, they seemed to know what to put where, but the lyrics and melodies were amateurish. This was clearly the work of a band who’s abilities were grossly outpaced by their ambition. I guess it’s an accomplishment in itself however, considering they were able to find a label that stuck by them in the interim.
With that considered, it was wise to lessen the scope and only focus on five strong songs. If you have ever written a record, you’ll know that it can be a daunting task to fill up a track list once your good ideas have been exhausted. Even then it can take time to make the songs more alive and varied unless you spend a good deal of time writing together while gigging.
Tonality wise the songs are pretty. The melodies wind back and forth with strings, instruments, synths, and proper lyrics about women and life. They do rock out a bit on the opener, but the rest is fairly reserved.
So while they were not able to attain such ballad highs as Megalomaniac from their last release, each song is pretty darn close, and it’s a welcomed accomplishment from a band that knew what they wanted, but just couldn’t reach it at the time. This EP is definitely worth a listen as it showcases Plus Minus showing exactly what they are capable of. These songs stand up to most all future recordings, which isn’t to mean they peaked here, but rather defined their standard for quality.
