Record Label: Heffa/Vector
Genre: Sadsack with Guitar
Band Link: link
Buy on Amazon.com link

I really wanted to like this one. I really did. I generally really enjoyed Rice’s first album O’, but even then, that album started getting a bit boring by the end. The boringness reappears on his follow-up, with really nothing on the album grabbing my attention except one or two tracks. Most of the songs are either really boring, or just really never build up to anything. Take the leadoff track 9 Crimes’. It starts really nicely, with a very simple piano tune and a female voice. But then when Rice comes in, nothing really happens. It just keeps going as it was. Animals were Gone’ and Elephant’ don’t really excite me, and the latter is essentially a rewrite of The Blower’s Daughter’ from his debut. The only time I really got into the album was the track Dogs’, a poppy and upbeat folk tune, and the following song Coconut Skins’. I really loved the first half of O’, and even the few good songs on this one tell me that Rice has the potential to put together some catchy and exciting folk tunes, but first he needs to get rid of his own pretense, the strings and such, and make sure not to play anything slower than a Pink Floyd song.

Bottom Line: It could have been really good, but it isn’t. Too many shitty tracks overshadow the good ones.
Notable Tracks: Dogs, Coconut Skins, The Rat Within the Grain
Overall Rating: