Label: Hot Records Ltd

Producer: Dhani Harrison

Release Date: 2006

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I'm sitting here holding a slim cardboard package, about the size of a CD, with my name on it in Ariel 12 point Bold. This is the original package containing the original recently released 'promo' EP by thenewno2 who, as legend has it, were responsible for the music and the artwork contained therein. That is to say that the music is on the CD and the artwork is on the CD cover and also that thenewno2 are, without a doubt.. bigger than Rod!

With regard to the artwork, I have spent a considerable amount of time starring at thenewno2 logo (shown above) and nothing happened.. even after ten minutes when I half closed my eyes, thought about the Liver Buildings and the Albert Dock in Liverpool, and raised my left eyebrow! On to the music..

This delightfully packaged little EP opens with say - a genuinely well crafted pop/rock tune that's cleverly written and arranged with some really nice string inserts and even nicer backing vocals supplied by Amanda Butterworth as a complement to Dhani's rich and attention gripping lead vocal. My Aunty Mary would have said this was a 'catchy' tune and I'm sure it would have been revisited quite constantly if she'd had an iPod!

out of mind is an entirely different approach in arrangement and production to 'say' and the musicianship moves discreetly from economy to first class within the first few bars! Watch out for the sensibly divided lead and backing vocals that add a nice touch to the song's delivery. Equally dynamic and interesting are the FX inserts which are not the slightest bit overdone as is the temptation for many producers in today's similarly positioned genre.

lord lord brings out the coolly balanced guitar and synth work a little more prominently than in the previous two tracks. The trick here appears to have been to use a little more concentrated effort on the recording and production side of things than one would expect for an alternative delivery of a blues-based pop/rock tune. I like the way the lead vocals emphasize the sincerity and questioning in the lyrics by employing a scale-down technique that works quite nicely.

My favourite example of pure magnificence on this EP is the track truly - what an incredibly brilliant piece of composition, performance, and refreshingly approached production work. The song features some of the finest forward/reverse guitar that we thought had reached it's limits back in the sixties and seventies but apparently not in this case. The combinations and meanderings in Dhani and Amanda's vocals coupled with some very smart drum work make this a real attention fixating event and I swear I only played the track twice while I was writing! This must have been a truly fun recording experience for the guys in the studio and I think that's evident whether your listening through iPod, desktop, or Hi Fi speakers or through $500 dollar (250 pounds) headphones! Dhani, Oli and Amanda... I love this song!

So there we have it... a superb little EP featuring four sparkling and rather forward thinking examples of what thenewno2 are capable of when their music's in the right hands and recorded in the right environment. I lost some hope with this genre a few years back and with this 'loss recovery' EP, thenewno2 have perhaps unintentionally restored that loss hopefully for a long time to come! So when they get round to completing and releasing their first album, guess who's gonna take a few hours off work to get the 'release date' copy at the right price??? The hugeness of thenewno2's first album will undoubtedly have me immortalizing the event here in original Ariel 10 point bold!

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