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Rebel Emergency enjoy making music, and this comes through in every song on their self-titled EP.

The first three tracks were taken from Captured By A Vision, a 2005 album that was credited as a collaboration between Panic and The Rebel Emergency. The other four songs do not show any kind of step downward, demonstrating that the band is just as strong without the New York musician.

Reggae purists will dismiss Rebel Emergency for their straying from the genre, but reggae is the foundation of both the band’s sound and every song here. “Wander Far Away,” the lead single, is the most straight ahead genre entry. Geoff Star’s opening guitar lick and the rhythm in the verses are catchy and uplifting, just like vocalist Roddy Soul’s sometimes sung and sometimes quasi-rapped lyrics. The line, “Let your thoughts wander far away” might act as a guide for enjoying the rest of the EP, because this music is best appreciated viscerally, not through analysis.

“Here I Am” is the first song to push the boundaries of ska/reggae, with a distorted, unflinching riff. The lyrics continue to be unabashedly positive thinking, but Roddy adopts a more forcefully convincing tone.

To get an idea of what “Walk On Me” sounds like, imagine if Sugar Ray’s “Fly” (featuring Supercat) didn’t have such a mainstream polish. Even though the lyrics deal with lost love, the track gives the impression that writing and performing the tune was all the catharsis needed. “Ghost & Angels,” on the other hand, deals with similar subject matter in a serious way. When Roddy sings, “You believed in ghosts and angels; I believed in you and I. You believed I was mistaken, and I believed you’d never lie,” he sounds resigned, but no less passionate for it.

“Ghosts & Angels” is the most interesting arrangement on the disc. The first section spotlights the vocals and a melodic acoustic riff before morphing into a reggae rhythm. What makes the song work so well is that the emotional tone and musical themes are kept the same throughout. “Ghosts & Angels” ends with a full-out jam and a great rock guitar solo.

The one weak effort on the EP is “All Mine.” Either that or it is an okay song that was poorly placed in the tracklist. Right after the most heartfelt song on the disc comes this simple description of how blissful it is to be in love. “All Mine” is very catchy, but it is not up to the standard set by the first four songs.

When Roddy sings, “You want me to be honest, but you can’t handle the truth; It’s so much easier when I lie to you” over a start-stop rhythm, the listener’s attention will be right back where it should be. The singer is in complete command of “Honest,” and the upbeat ska is lively and danceable.

The seventh and last song, “Juvenile,” is what “All Mine” tries to be—a nice acoustic ballad with some endearing sentiment.

Bottom Line: Rebel Emergency use reggae as the foundation for their songs, and are adept at adding in foreign styles to mix it up a bit. Unlike, say, illScarlett, who might be described as having the same M.O., Rebel Emergency never stray so far from the genre that they can’t find their way back. With the exception of one throwaway song, everything on this EP is totally enjoyable. If Rebel Emergency further their incorporation of other influences into the mix, it should be interesting to hear how many things change and how many stay the same when they come out with a full length.

Rebel Emergency — Wander Far Away

Buy Rebel Emergency EP

Tags: EP