Whole Schebang – Stranger Than The Weather EP

A rather productive folk pop band from East London, Whole Schebang have already put together three tiny EPs, and the three-song Stranger Than The Weather is the latest in their line of diminutive releases. There's a familiar feel to this for anyone who's heard anything by Left With Pictures, which isn't surprising considering that the two bands share multi-instrumentalist Stuart Barter. That similar eccentric, whimsical feel is present and correct, but with a tiny dark tinge to the fun, witty lyrics - which are sung in pretty, dynamic vocal harmonies.You can't expect a massive variety of styles with such a tiny record to fill up, but Stranger Than The Weather isn't its title track rehashed a couple more times. "Hollow Feeling" strips most of the instrumentation away, and brings in haunting strings, erratic acoustic guitar and washes of cymbals. Eventually the song's big moody, cinematic theme kicks in, and whilst it represents a different approach to the first track, it's every bit as accomplished. The dramatic climax, whilst extremely brief, is something to behold. "Singing in the Rain" is possibly even better than both the other songs, moving through multiple distinct sections and back, and encompassing several different styles, it's a mini-epic. The same could be said for the EP as a whole - miniscule as this release is, it's a tasty bitesize piece of Whole Schebang which might prove to whet your appetite for more. 87%Whole Schebang on MySpace