Anticipated sophomore release worth the hype.
Straylight Run is the offspring of pop-punk icons Taking Back Sunday. Their self-titled debut sold more than 200,000 copies and that number is growing rapidly. All of the album sales aren't a product of MTV time or great marketing, however. Straylight Run makes some of the finest music around. "Prepare To Be Wrong" does nothing else but drive that point home.
This 6 track EP leaves one awestruck track after track. There are a few piano-driven songs and some acoustic guitar ballads. Both of those coupled with great lyrics. The opener "I Don't Want This Anymore" combines Michelle Nolan's dreamy vocals with electronic drum beats. The two combine for a nice intro to the rest of the album. In case you are new to Straylight Run, almost every song is done in the form of a duet between Michelle and her brother John. The two combine for some of the best harmonies I've ever heard. The best example of this is on the third offering "Later That Year." The song is a cry against the War on Terror. Whether you agree with the war or not, the line "We did the math, it wasn't worth it after all" is guaranteed to make you sing.
The highlight track of the EP is "Hands in the Sky." The entire song gradually builds until John Nolan is literally screaming the chorus. The song shows the diversity of Straylight Run really well. Coincidentally, "Hands in the Sky" is the first single released from this EP.
"Prepare To Be Wrong" has everything any indie rock fan would ever want. The only missing piece in this disc is an "L", as in "LP." "Prepare To Be Wrong" is one of the best EP's I've heard, but it's just a bit too short to earn a perfect rating. That said, Straylight Run's latest is worth spending your Christmas cash on.
3.5/4
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