If two musical groups could have children, "Random Hymns" would be the baby between Milemarker and the Scaterd Few. That comparison is a double edged sword because while The Phantom Limbs do it well and the blend of the two artists is sonically pleasing, the comparison is so on target that it can be distracting and makes you wish you were, instead, listening to either of the above mentioned artists.
Granted, the comparison is only that. It would be pretty unlikely that The Phantom Limbs are ripping either artist off. After all, The Phantom Limbs were around before Milemarker released their first CD. On the other hand, the Scaterd Few was around way before The Phantom Limbs, yet it is very doubtful whether anyone outside of the small Christian underground scene has ever heard of them to rip off. So there is no attempt here to accuse the artist of trying to mimic anyone.
While most of the songs are fun and fairly listenable, "Jackalope Rising," the fourth track, is a great mistake that is only reserved for rookie bands and self-pleasing EPs. It is essentially a nine minute long noise session of scattered drumming, random sound clips, and whirling electronic bleeps. As-is it is pretty useless and very pretentious.
They break out then for track five and do something really interesting. They add accordion and trumpet to their usual mix to give the song a strange ethnic tone. If they continue in that vein, The Phantom Limbs will be a band to watch. Until then, only bother with this EP if you are already a massive fan.
1.5/4
