Click on this link to 'opener' the main 8mm page... Can Opener Overall Album Score: 7.5 out of 10 Cool! This EP is the first thing that anyone'd ever ask me to review before. I was e-mailed by the band manager (or someone claiming she was the band manager) who sent me a cool-looking press release and a picture of the band (where it looked like the photographer had to run somewhere real quick and wouldn't give the lead singer time enough to properly dress). Anyway, that made me feel special even though I didn't get a free copy of the EP. It was streamed for free on the band's web site (which might still be available at http://www.8mmaudio.com/ if you're interested in listening to it). And, my first impression of the band was: "Hmmm ... this really isn't half-bad. It seems the band is primarily more concerned with melody than anything else, which is the most important thing a band can focus on in the humble opinion of myself!" Alright, so the band has decent melodies, but what about the other stuff? The other stuff is all right, too. The producer knows how to produce a song (... even though this person apparently produced Marilyn Manson albums in the past ... and I hates Marilyn Manson ...). Some of them are even interesting, but they're really too dreary for me to enjoy them totally. Some of them make me yaaaaaaawwwwwwwnnnnnnn! But, alas, the production ain't bad at all. What's easily the most interesting song in the album is one of its most intolerable! "Nothing Left to Lose" has this odd interchange between rapping and dead-dreary singing. Both of these elements are really too simple for that song to really be worth a whole heck of a lot, but it was an interesting idea, I'd say. The rest of the songs aren't daring whatsoever! We've heard them before ... and we've probably heard them better (although, "Save Yourself" is really really good). But for a debut EP, a 7.5 means that this is very promising! Of course, there's a lot of room for improvement ... but it's easy to see that there is plenty of talent in 8mm, and I'm sure the band has the potential of making something really quite special in their future. Overall Album Score: 7.5 out of 10 (For a first try, this EP is promising. You've just got to remember to keep emphasizing those melodies!) Average Song Score: 7.4 (Most of the songs in here are fine. One is great, and I had to take extreme issue with another.) Album Tilt: 7.5 (This isn't exciting stuff ... but this isn't bad stuff, either.) Artist Rating: 7.5 (It's not artistically daring ... nor are these guys your typical, cheap 'Britney Spears' wannabes. The EP can be interesting to listen to.) Track Reviews Opener 8/10 This song (with a rather dreary, slowly played riff) has a nice melody! ... That is the most important quality a song can have ... right? It's also played and produced rather well. It's nothing daring or particularly memorable. Basically, this is your average 00s-style post-pop, but it's a good song. I can't deny it that. Save Yourself 9.5/10 Now this *is* a good song. The melody/riff/harmonies are all in the right place. Plus, this is a memorable song for the most part! Whoever the heck was responsible for writing this song did a rather good job. Again, this is hardly daring music, but it is a great one! It's difficult for me not to like the song. Never Enough 7.5/10 This is another fine song. Everything seems to be well put into place. It was produced well and all that. It's a little bit dreary ... This one only barely manages to catch fire for me. It's not a bad one. Nothing Left to Lose 6.5/10 This song goes back and forth from a very simple (and dreary) melody and generic rapping. (When these two elements are together provide the song's best moments.) I think the atmosphere in general was well done. But I can't say that I really like this song. Crawl 5.5/10 I suppose that it has occurred to someone that *singing* is a good thing! I mean ... I'm not totally impressed with this Juliette Beaven's singing voice anyway. But she just talks the lyrics here ... the only thing that could save the song might be killer backdrop music. And that's not killer. This song is boooooooring. Give it Up 7.5/10 ...Still boring, but as opposed to "Crawl," this is an actual *song!* Again, the instrumentation is very dreary and it can grow tedious! But it was well done. And there is a melody. And the melody is good. ... ... That's all I have to say about that. Wanna leave sum commentssss? Send them here!

All reviews are copyrighted by Michael Lawrence. He sucks ... on straws.