Straight-up hardcore skateboard punk viewed through hazy shoegaze-o-visions, mixing both well enough not to be considered specifically influenced by an artist of either side. Mysteriously androgynous voice flings itself in and out of songs through the mashed potatoes of heavy sound. And the Pagans come across a surf rock band. "Prog-Rock Space Opera" doesn't evoke much about travelling through space, but its ridiculously fast guitars outrunning its ridiculously fast drums make it feel like riding with the breeze rushing into your face. Then an odd bug smashes into you ("Prog-Rock Space Opera"'s breakdown beginning 2:27). Sounds a bit Concave Scream at "?", don't you think? Whatever. "Take These Days Away" is smooth and listenable. I like the Pagans better when they take the whole hardcore punk thing down a notch and just be a basic rock band. The vocals are just not cut out for rock, as hard as the singer Morris tries. Pull back into "TV Babe", where it starts off with channel-surfing before fusing into undulating frequencies and ululating voices. "My addiction / My addiction" I can barely make out. This song is sad and dreary, yet bittersweet and melodious - fitting when you are infatuated with a TV personality. "DHL" does prove that the Pagans can rock hard, but once again, I don't get what Morris does here. He is inappropriate for the sound completely. "DHL"'s chord falls and build-ups sound great without Morris, but when he comes in, everything just reaches a new level of awkwardness. Remember that guy? In Singapore Idol? Who was so soft? Remember how during one of the episodes when he was brought on to the show and heard with the help of cranked up amplifiers? Morris sounds exactly like that. And it's cringing. "Part II" might be a song where Morris seems like he comes with the band as one. Maybe because he starts to scream here, a welcome addition, a very welcome addition, to all the high-pitched whines that are commonplace throughout the album. Makes this song in particular very remarkable. "Limestone" recreates the same scene that the first song of the album brought, guitars and drums racing against each other, frantic and out of time, and "K" brings the album to a closer with echoing bass picks and deafening feedback sounds. Or are those crickets? I can't make out much from this album; it's like trying to distinguish an enemy character amongst the realistic dark overtones from GTA IV. One thing's for sure though, and it's that this album is bland - the perks like Morris' voice comes more of an annoyance than a distinct feature. I don't expect this band to make anything more in future, but I got one suggestion. Less Bilinda Butcher impersonations, more crazy BPM antics. I liked those.