You can't deny it. (Sorry. . .)
Joshua D. Beachy | Sullivan, IL USA | 05/01/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If there's one thing wrong with Ep, it's that it's an Ep and not a full-length. Five songs just don't seem to be enough. I was hoping, when I heard about its release, that they'd put "Rock Bottom" on this. Sadly, it is missing, and those who did not get that free download last year, will have to live without it. (Yet another pun. I apologize.) It's a shame really, because five songs seem so short, and one extra song might have rounded it off perfectly.
That being said how are the songs that ARE on the Ep? They're good. Very good. It starts off with a "remix" of their first single off of One Fell Swoop: "Staplegunned." This is so similar to the original that it hardly qualifies as a remix, so if you like the original, you should have no complaints about this remix. Following that is a Fleetwood Mac cover "Gold Dust Woman." I've not heard the original version of this song, I'll admit. Still, it sounds so different from typical Spill Canvas that I have to wonder if they didn't leave it quite the same. It's more blues than I'm used to hearing from this band, but Nick Thomas pulls it off quite well. It's track three that really makes this Ep worth buying. It's the first really new song on the Ep called "To Live Without It." I don't think I've ever heard Nick's vocals sound this good before. This song only makes me want to skip summer so I can get to the release of their full length faster. If you're a fan of their heavier stuff, you should love this song. After that, they slow it down for the rest of the Ep with "Appreciation and the Bomb." Nick's song writing abilities are so amazing. This song is so open, so melancholy. I would say that this song could be his best song ever. The Ep ends with another cover. This time it's of folk-singer Donovan. I'm not a big fan of Donovan, but I have heard the original of this version. I believe TSC pull it off masterfully. It is just a quick little folk song.
So, in short, Denial is perhaps not for a newcomer to The Spill Canvas, but for us fans who have been around since Sunsets, this is a gem. It may not hold off the pangs of longing for another full length, but it will certainly whet the appetite."
To Live Without It = Best.
Mark Halstead | Amsterdam, NY USA | 06/05/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"To Live Without it MAKES this EP. SUCH A GOOD SONG! Whole EP is great of course, even the covers and the remix, but that song is the best song, like, ever. HIGHLY recommended for fans of Spill Canvas"