Reviews

I wasn't familiar with The Ackleys going into this EP and I have to admit that I was kind of rooting for it based on the packaging alone. Not only is the cover design of Forget Forget, Derive Derive pretty awesome but it's printed on what amounts to a cardboard CD carton with a tab to close it in the back. Inside the carton, one will find the disc and a very tiny manila envelope. Inside the envelope is a single sheet that folds out with the lyrics and band's thanks.
 
Obviously, this is a superficial reason to like an album, which is why it's fortunate that the music is equally as awesome. The five-track EP opens with “Andy, Our Loss,” which immediately showcases the amazing vocal performance on this effort by Katie Crutchfield with the aptly bland singing of the first line, “I lost my flavor long ago…”
 
By the second track, the listener will realize just how much this EP is driven by the vocals. “We're Not Listening,” features a simple progression of continuous chords that follow the key changes of the vocals, giving the song an incredible amount of attitude.
 
The music and vocals then combine efforts to create a great upbeat emphasis on “7 Days.” The track builds upon itself until Crutchfield is practically yelling the final lines, “Why do I miss you? I haven't seen you in just seven days…”
 
“Blank Mind Between The Traffic Lights,” is carried by conversational lyrics that mingle playfully with the tempo. The driving beats and keyboards make this one catchy enough for college radio play. “Can of Ashes,” isn't a terrible track, but it doesn't seem to fit the tone of the rest of the EP and ends an otherwise strong effort on a bit of a weak note.
 
After listening to this an endless number of times, I had to go back and check out what I could from the band's first album. Comparatively, everything about this EP is much more mature…and that's for the better. The lyrics are great, the vocals amazing, and the songwriting more complex while knowing where to keep it simple. The production quality is also improved but I’m still left wondering if the mixing could have been better. The vocals are the highlight of this album and sometimes they just don't come through strong enough. All-in-all, it's nitpicking of an otherwise stellar EP and I can't wait to see what this still very young band will accomplish.