Released: 1994
Tracks: To Give; On and On; Clear as the Wind; Little Song; I Can See; Vagrant; Try So Hard; Cringe; El du Alami; Ode to Cave Cricket; Once Upon; Pass it On
Best track: same as the original version, either Clear as the Wind or Ode to Cave Cricket
Track to skip: none!
I’m not completely sure in this, but I am guessing that the reason this album was released a 2nd time was because the first pressing sold out and in making the second pressing, they decided to add 4 recently recorded tracks and change the order around a bit. Obviously I would have preferred that they recorded a whole new album, but I more than understand how bands don’t have enough money for stuff like that; and a 2nd pressing with 4 new songs is the best thing to do. The four new ones are To Give, On and On (with super repeating choruses!), Try So Hard and Cringe. Cringe was on the original demo, but this version is a new recording and betters the previous version. To Give is good opener to the disc, and even for the MANY repeats of the word ‘on’ in On and On it’s still a good song. Try So Hard took me a long time to even like. It’s very different than all the other Flat Mass songs; it’s very poppy. I really used to despise it, and it took seeing it live to appreciate it. Still, it’s the worst song on the CD and my least favorite of all the songs they wrote, but I never skip it. It’s a fun song to listen to and sing along with. I do think the chorus is pretty cool as well. Besides the 4 new songs and the revised track order (I have to admit, the order on the first version is my preference), the only other difference is the lack of the hidden track. Thankfully they left it off. I’m very happy I got these 4 new songs, but I still kind of like the first version better. It flowed better I think. However, when I’m in the mood for “Naked and So…” I *always* put in this version. For obvious reasons. The 4 songs don’t add a whole lot to this album (it’s great already) except for Cringe, which is excellent. Yes, Clear as the Wind and Cave Cricket are still the best songs on the album, but Cringe, Vagrant & Once Upon are also quite excellent too. Since the first pressing sold out, this is the version you’d find…IF you could ever find it. The album’s getting the same grade as before, as the 4 new tracks aren’t going to bump it up any higher.
Rating: 96
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