The Exit

Home for an Island [reissue] (2005)

simon

The Exit have already released this album. I enjoyed the initial release quite a bit, and was surprised that they didn't.

The band decided to re-record the album in order to get more of a live feel. As instruments go, they succeeded. Effects are featured less prominently on this version, and the overall sound has much more of a raw quality to it. Vocally, they were less successful. I can't say that the vocals are any more produced, but I don't find them to be any less produced either; they simply sound…different.

In the initial release, there were 10 tracks, and for the new release they removed one of the original tracks and added three new ones. The song "Italy" was cut this time around, and I can't say that I mind a whole lot. It was not a standout track by any means, and I was hoping that the new tracks would fill its shoes and more. "Warm Summer Days" is a huge failure. It seems to meander around trying to find itself, and never comes close to succeeding. "Pressure Cooker" comes closer with its upbeat sound, but still falls short of what the band is capable of producing. "The Sun Will Rise in Queens" is the best of the three new songs. It takes a while to get going, but eventually it finds a groove and the second half of the song is the only solid new offering from the band.

Standout tracks from the original album were "Already Gone" and "Soldier," and surprisingly, these two songs received the least amount of treatment on the new album. "Don't Push" and "Tell Me All Again" really benefit from the new sound, and are much improved over their original versions. "So Leave Then" was the odd song out on the last album with its steel drums coming out of nowhere and leaving just as quickly. The drums are still there, but are now joined by a saxophone, continuing the trend of setting this song apart from the others.

My largest complaint comes from the album packaging. The booklet is nearly identical to the original release, the only changes coming with the lyrics for the new songs, obviously. I'm not asking for a revolution in CD packaging here, but something new would have been nice.

Overall, I like the newer sound on this album. The re-recorded tracks as a whole sound better, and I think the band succeeded in creating a better record. I just wish they had used it to make some new songs that weren't as bad.