EP
Noah’s Barks pages relating to EPs (Extended Plays), a release format for audio media.
-
Slowdive – “Morningrise”
1991’s "Morningrise" EP has Slowdive make gigantic strides in songwriting. (read more)
-
Catherine Wheel – “Painful Thing E.P.”
The two exclusive songs on the Painful Thing E.P. (“Spin,” “Painful Thing”) are great but really held back by awful production values. Additionally, the two early versions of songs that would end up on Ferment are better experienced there. Rob Dickinson’s vocals sound much younger here than they’d be on their debut and beyond, which… (read more)
-
Cranes – “Self-Non-Self”
It’s hard to tell whether or not I’m judging Self-Non-Self poorly because it’s different from the Cranes sound I love, or because I don’t think they’re good at this style. Let’s go with a little of both. The EP is primarily ’80s gothic rock, so the keyword is “dreary,” a monotony so powerful that I… (read more)
-
Broadcast – “The Book Lovers EP”
Pretty wonderful, even if the songs on ‘The Book Lovers EP’ are fairly interchangeable. Broadcast would develop more of their own style over time. (read more)
-
The Church – “Coffee Hounds”
You guys wanna be mad? Have I got a hot take for you: The Church’s cover of “Hounds of Love” on Coffee Hounds makes Kate Bush’s original look like a joke. Steve Kilbey sells the lyrical metaphor with a sense of earnest, true vulnerability; desperation begging for release despite the anxiety stemming from love’s irresistible… (read more)
-
Broadcast – “Pendulum”
I’d call the ‘Pendulum’ EP inessential, but that’d be a lie, because with the short career of Broadcast, nothing is truly inessential. (read more)
-
Black Tambourine – “OneTwoThreeFour”
Black Tambourine return from a two-decade hiatus with ‘OneTwoThreeFour,’ an EP of Ramones covers done in their signature noise pop style. (read more)
-
Lilys – “A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns” (1994)
Excellent ’90s alternative rock that retains a fair amount of the noise from the first album, which was heavily inspired by the early ’90s shoegazing scene. On the A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns EP, Lilys breaks away from that a little with a more aggressive sound that still sounds very melodic. Lilys went from… (read more)
-
Pixies – “Come On Pilgrim” (1987)
Come On Pilgrim kind of sucks, in my opinion. It’s like Surfer Rosa without any riffs or hooks. It’s skeletal, but it ain’t no “Bone Machine.” Just unbridled counterculture energy that’s dime a dozen in ’80s alternative rock. But what made the Pixies distinct, if anything, was when they decided to tether that energy around… (read more)
-
My Bloody Valentine – “This Is Your Bloody Valentine” (1985)
This Is Your Bloody Valentine is The Doors meeting The Jesus and Mary Chain. Only with all of the impersonation and none of the skills. Dave Conway delivers his faux-Morrison accent over a generic array of half-baked, post-punk songs. There is a slight saving grace here with “The Last Supper” offering some eerie keyboard work,… (read more)