Album Review: Wake The Giant - The Escape Artist EP

American outfit Wake The Giant open 2010 with their 'The Escape Artist EP', a mix of pop-rock with some punkiness peppered over here and there but for mostly aesthetic purposes. Opener 'Arms Like Snakes' cymbals its way in crashing fashion, guitars and synth ablaze making for an encouraging start, and somehow fades into an uninspired pop-rock song only made worse by its over-use of reverb. The song does pack a fair amount of energy but never veers out of course into something memorable.

Sweet strings make way for 'Broken Fall' before suddenly being replaced by what sounds like Angels & Airwaves, and surprisingly, the reverb is back. It certainly feels like the band are trying to use the effect to bring some depth to the songwriting, but essentially just feels artificial. 'Of Hopes and Dreams' packs significantly more punch than previously, and while the Angels & Airwaves comparisons are still relevant, the band sound like they're working on a slowly narrowing set of ideas.

Closer 'Blinding Eyes' does little more to redeem the rest with the return of the ever-so-annoying reverb effect before unleashing into what actually sounds like the band's first effort to make something a bit different and there is clearly a light sense of urgency that lacks in the rest of the E.P. It may not be memorable, but it's at least decent. And on a mostly uninspired offering, you're really clutching on straws at this point.

2/5

'The Escape Artist EP' by Wake The Giant is available as a free download here.

James Berclaz-Lewis