Music From Another Room

by

The Juliana Theory

Edit

This EP is the first music that I've heard by The Juliana Theory (not counting a couple of downloads) and I must say I am very impressed. I've read a couple of reviews ragging on this record for its mediocrity, and I say that if this is mediocrity, then I can't wait to hear the rest of their music.

Although the songs are really B sides thrown together, they seem to fit in my mind. They all have an eerie Pink Floyd quality. This association is something I didn't see in other reviews and wonder how anyone could have missed it. The beginning of "This Is The End ofYour Life" sounds so much like Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" that one has to wonder if it was sampled. Also, Track 2, which I can't remember the name of could be passed off as a Floyd track to the untrained ear. They even go so far as to invoke the phrase "Bleeding hearts and artists," which is something that turns up repeatedly in Pink Floyd's "The Wall." I want to hear some other talk on this subject.

Overall, this is a very good and very complete record, despite its shortness. It is much smarter, and more highly evolved than anything you'll hear on the radio these days.

I first saw these guys in late 2000. They put on a damned good show. It made me want to check out their stuff. This particular cd was not my first taste of the band, but it's the first cd of the band that I obtained. I enjoyed the addition of the keys on some tracks and hints of programming adding a nice touch of synth pop to some dark rock. Track 3 is just a segue into the next part of the cd. It's quite dark and sad, mood wise. The Piano Song really doesn't fit in with anything I heard from these guys before this particular cd. It was a nice taste of something new from them though, even going so far as to throw a nice tasty morsel of a bluesy guitar solo in there. I've never heard them do anything else like that. All in all, I gave this cd 3 stars. It picks up where Emotion is Dead left off and adds a nicer touch with the programming than on the previously mentioned album. Aside from that, this album has nothing really "new" sounding from these guys. It's a shame they are no longer together. If you enjoy the music, you would have enjoyed the shows.