Music CD’s should really be compared to a box of chocolates, as you really don’t know what your going to get next! Arriving on my doormat recently was the brand new E.P from Readers Wives, a band that are evidently not one to shy away from, shall we say, more controversial subjects.

Their E.P kicks off with the interestingly titled ‘Sexually Attracted To Myself’, which in case you haven’t guessed is all about Homosexuality. Although I found the lyrics a bit unusual on this, I did enjoy the quite chilled vibe to the song, and the fluid string arrangements. All in all, music wise at least it’s a rather cool indie/pop/acoustic fusion, swiftly followed by four other tracks.

First up is ‘Advertising Heroin’, a track which might become something of an acquired taste’. My personal preferences don’t include frantic/talking vocals or lyrics about drugs, which were sometimes unclear and lost in the music, though some might enjoy the up-tempo brashness of this song. The next song, ‘I don’t Need To Be Seduced’ fared better with me, and although there was a slightly odd rustling noise, I liked this track. It has a cool piano intro, mixed with a raw guitar sound, which produces a quite interesting acoustic track. ‘Raw’ is not so pleasant in the next song, ‘Dublin Is All Pubs And Cranes’, which vocally, sounds like it’s been recorded when the band were half asleep, ill, or hungover. It didn’t really grab my attention, and the same goes for the ‘I’m tuning my guitar’ style intro on ‘I Know I’m not Your Hero Anymore’. This melancholy track is a grower though, and it would make an ideal backing for a film. The strumming guitars have a slightly old school feel to them, and have been coupled with some vivid lyrical phrases like ‘mandolins flew’. For me, this CD is quite a rollercoaster, and goes up and down in my estimation. While there were things that didn’t quite work or grab my attention, there were moments of hope and interest too.

To find out more about the band and this E.P release visit www.readerswivesband.com