Ever Questioning Why

When music is this good, it doesn't matter where the influences come from. Ever Questioning Why may be integral to the 1990s garage movement, but by 1995, not only had fans of the genre and the BBC taken notice, so had the media across Europe. The charts weren't beckoning, but appreciative ears were. And although a few weak songs that don't go anywhere mark this album, the good ones make up for them. Ratcliffe was now mastering both the electric piano and organ, adding some wonderful touches, and acoustic guitars and more introspective material marked a move forward. The album's crowning glory, "A Just Reflection" lyrically and musically, matches both P.F Sloan and the Byrds, while the forlorn "Doubts I'm Caught Between," resplendent with Spanish guitar and wood block, has a similar moody atmosphere to Scottish beat group the Poets. British-inspired psychedelia was even encountered on "Mental Block," showing how varied their writing was becoming, but to counteract the sweetness, a darker and cynical mindset was undertaken with "Let Those Around In," "They Never Asked," and "Fly Away Bird." ~ Jon "Mojo" Mills, Rovi