Essentially one guy did this and, forgetting that it's more demo than official release, that's pretty amazing when you realise the range of songs on here, and the standard. What connects a good deal of the songs on here are the relative simplicity with which the guy approaches the arrangements, the presence of a lead guitar that's mostly of the jangly variety while still strong, rhythms that are solid but bouncy and a vocal that more4 than does justice to the songs, a voice with a certain richness to it, yet one that's got a texture, lightness and strength that makes its mid-register style, work so effortlessly throughout the album. Things kick off with “You Are”, the aforementioned elements plus a distant ringing lead guitar to add bite, on a song where there's a real warmth running throughout, as the ease of he vocals provides a song that's accessible, enjoyable and quite commercial, with a verse structure that makes it something you want to listen to again and again, plus a hook-as-chorus that sticks in your head. With its rhythms never veering far off course, its guitars taking the occasional twist and turn, and vocals that are emotive, soft and strong, this one's a the sort of indie-pop thing that endears itself to you right from the start and refuses to let go. “Days Of My Life” continues this style only here it begins with a more solid electric guitar figure and chunkier drums, as the vocal moves down a notch, then becomes multi-tracked for greater strength, as the band stride forward with mid-paced purpose, the staccato guitar leads adding to the picture. Once again, the vocal dominate with that velvety force of a vocal providing a well written song with the necessary depth and sound that keeps you hooked, and while there's not the same memorable hook as before, it's nevertheless a most engaging song, well arranged, with an almost seventies Krautrock rhythm above which various guitar leads and textures sail to good effect, the song justifying its slightly longer time to maximum degree. “Nightmare of The Night” starts with a more menacing lone guitar figure as that rich vocal enters, the drums stumble and the verse is delivered with an equal sense of unease, leading into a surging chorus that's altogether more solid and harmonic, the whole thing reminding me of a more down-to-earth Nash The Slash from the early eighties. With bass throb, ringing guitars, chunky drums and low-slung vocal, it's got real atmosphere for something so deceptively simple, and another seriously good song, but more album track than commercial appeal. “Response” has a stop-start intro leading into a ringing surge of a lead guitar as the drums and bass bounce along easily and the vocal once more delivers an observational lyric with emotion and a certain amount of angst, the verses gliding over the chunky bounce of the guitar and rhythm section. Even with emotion, the rich-voiced singer sounds light and airy, almost effortless, yet still solid and always there. With its insistent rhythmic qualities, the song has a memorability that's almost not actually there in terms of traditional verse-hook-chorus structure, which actually makes it even more repeat playable and enjoyable. “Edit” opens with a really emotive jangly guitar lead as the chunky rhythm section enters, the rich vocal cruises on top, a stabbed keyboard line comes along then disappears to leave the chiming guitar ringing out to perfection as the purity of voice delivers the song with conviction, the verses climbing into a sort of hook that actually becomes really memorable in a good way, and one of the best tracks on the album, its ease of emotion, richness of vocal extra keyboard textures, and deceptively lightweight solid structure, all combining to create something really worthwhile. “Profit Maximisation” opens and you think it's going to be ska but it turns into a ballad instead, the vocal is “drier” but then the guitar gets a little stronger, the rhythm goes slightly ska and the vocals sound more harmonious and this is the song you get, lightweight but strong enough to keep you hooked. “Paranoid Stories” percussively shuffles, guitar-wise stutters and just as you think it's gonna be too claustrophobic, that rich vocal with a hint of urgency comes in and the whole thing rolls along and, surprisingly, works a treat for such a forceful number, even though it's just a series of verses with an almost fast-paced shuffling backdrop, but it's the emotive delivery that provides the interest, short and sweet. “The Charmer” tries a similar approach but just doesn't cut it – too shrill, too angst-ridden and almost trying too hard as the vocalist is so far ahead of the band's distant backing, it's almost painful, and when he misses the notes at the end of the verses, things are definitely not working. “Give” is a real ballad and, again, misses the spot – when this guy decides to get seriously intense, it's like the fun that's so vital a part of the enjoyment of his tracks, goes right out the window – so here you get a dry vocal that, while emotional, sounds taut to breaking point, and rather than coming over heartfelt, comes across as rather unconvincing, and, yet again, the wordless harmonies are out of tune, while the repeated chorus is verging on the annoying – he sings “something has got to give” and you can't help but agree!! “Hindsight” is said to be a wonderful thing, and in the case of the track of that title, actually is, at last proving that this guy can do serious ballad and make it sound convincing, just one man, his trusty acoustic and a passionate vocal with a song that is lyrically moving, pouring a heart out rather than trying for something that's out of reach. “The Time Is Now” nearly reverts to the feel of what the fierst 6 tracks provided so admirably, bounces along and here the vocals are back to light and airy although not quite as rich sounding, although the high-pitched harmonies aren't far off. The jangly guitar and jaunty rhythms propel it all along merrily enough and, although not really possessing a hook or chorus that's obvious, nevertheless manages to cascade to a degree that you find yourself drawn to listening, slighly intensifying the high-flying guitar as the repeated rhythmic bounce keeps going. “The Pedestrian” goes for a similar approach but bounces faster, while the vocal is really upfront, so much so that all you're conscious of hearing are vocals and drums for the first part of the track as the bass undercurrent and crispy acoustic guitar are way back in the mix. A chorus is threatened, the harmonies are in tune, and, although a bit tense, is bouncy enough to work. Of the two “bonus tracks”, “So Misunderstood” is OK, not a lot to latch onto but nothing wrong either – all it needs is a bit more of a surge on the guitar, less angst, and a drum sound that is more powerful than a drum machine bought at Woolworths!! Finally, “Fly Home” opens as another “man and his guitar” ballad, slowly develops into something a bit more, although still at the same pace and vocal delivery, gradually gathering strength and going into a slow-motion version of one of the more upbeat type of choruses witnessed on the first 6 tracks. So, overall, 6 or 7 great tracks, 2 or three good ones and a few howlers – a case of “economy would be more” if a final version of the album is to be unleashed on the public.