The ever-evolving band Plankeye, whose members are always changing, returns with ten high quality tunes written and played with sincerity. Although the latest version of the group plays tightly, strumming each chord with accuracy and striking each drum beat with authority, Strange Exchange suffers from sound-a-like syndrome in which no track stands out as a heavy hitting anthem or future classic. The band has matured since its raw sounding Spill and The Spark albums, and has even lightened its sound load since its Commonwealth days. Not until 1997's One & Only album, the last with singer Scott Silletta, did the band adopt a less alternative edged style to take hold of a straight and narrow rock and roll beat. Even after the band was reduced to the duo of Eric Balmer and Luis Garcia, it maintained a mild sound on Relocation, and was able to prove successful with a mixture of radio friendly rock/pop masterpieces, along with a few melancholy ballads. Come 2001 Plankeye, enhanced with new members Kevin Poush on guitar and Louie Ruiz on drums, attempting to do the same, but seems to regurgitate the identical sounds on the new disc. Hard hitting tunes like "This Is," "The Meaning of it All," and "Chemicals and Sleep" seem to be near carbon copies of each other, while "Keep on Walking" and "Remind" both start off on the mild side, only to pick up the pace towards the end. "The Way of the Earth" is a mostly acoustic guitar driven track that conjures up images of "Break My Fall," from Relocation, while the 90-second filler "My Wife" also leans on the lite side. Plankeye always has housed a talented troupe of songwriters and musicians, but unfortunately this latest incarnation seems to rely on a limited amount of experimentation to make up the majority of Strange Exchange.