mock orange

first ep

'This can't be Mock Orange. Is it Mock Orange? No, it can't be.

But it is.

How can it be? It sounds so much like Matthew Sweet. No, no, Mock Orange, say it ain't so.

There's clapping on the album. Damn. Well, at least there's no cowbell or tambourine. Maybe it's low and the mix and I'm in denial, though.

Ryan, buddy, what happened to your voice? Have you been watching too much TRL recently? Oh, and those heavily distorted solos, where did they come from and why did you put them there?

The guys in the band seem to be a group of really nice people, which makes digging into the album difficult. Singer Ryan Grisham even lets us know that he "is generally a nice guy," on "Crash and Die," the second song of the EP.

The quality of this release is curious because they are, in fact, proficient musicians. The band's two full-length albums, "Sixes and Nines" and "The Record Play," are great albums. They have a mid-'90s Texas is the Reason, Mineral, American Football-sort of sound to them. It's pre-Casket Lottery math rock arpeggio progressions - and Grisham's voice is appealing, though nasal. Now, it is just nasal.

Then again, if the theory put forth by Emogame.com is accurate, Mock Orange, as with all other good emo bands, is destined to put out slew of bad music from here on out. The third album is always the demise of a good emo band, according to Emogame.com.

Musically, the band is as tight as always. There is just less complexity for the band to be tight around.

According to Deaddroid Records, the songs on this EP "are going to change the face of modern indie-rock." Fearfully, that change may just be another nail in the coffin.

So consider this a plea, guys, to stick with the formula that worked for the first two albums. Both records were highly worthy of praise.

The new full-length, which is done and should be out very soon, is said to follow the pattern of the "First EP" and all fans of this EP will love the album. So, if you are a fan of it, by all means, pick up a copy of the album when it comes out.

The rest of us that are left in the dust for now will just have to wait and hope that our wish for the Mock Orange we know and love will be back soon.