The Crow While lacking the quality of full length releases, Voices in my Head still delivers a unique experience!

Recorded after the release of Out of Myself and prior to the masterpiece Second Life Syndrome, Riverside consolidated its line- up with this EP which has a good production and some very good ideas.

Us follows the melancholic path of Out of Myself, but it contains a surprising acoustic guitars work. Acronyum Love starts with a beautiful piano which introduces a real classic of the band, with wonderful and very elegant guitars (we miss you, Piotr!) and a final accelerated part in the vein of Out of Myself.

Dna Ts. Rednum Or F. Raf, despite its weird title has introduces fine electronic rhythms and beautiful vocal melodies. The long instrumental part together with the electronic sounds is some kind of advance of what the band would do in the future with Rapid Eye Movement. The time I was Daydreaming is another acoustic song in the vein of Us, but this time with a glimpse of trip-hop in the guitars and rhythm, typical also from Out of Myself with another intense and dramatical ending. Stuck Between has also a bit of trip- hop influence and it has an excellent layer of keyboards and guitars, very good combined, together with a fine bass and very good harmonic voices. These voices are left alone at the end of the track to close this fine collection of new songs in a very good way.

After the new songs we encounter live versions of I Believe, Loose Heart and Out of Myself, very good played and with enough variations to be enjoyed despite being heard a thousand times in Out of Myself.

Conclusion: with this EP, Riverside experimented with more acoustic sections and more trip-hop melodies than in Out of Myself. This was a cult release these days, so they were allowed to do that without receiving the anger of fans. The result is a very interesting disc with four good songs and a true Riverside classic, which is Acronyum Love.

Maybe is not an essential addition for every collection, but it's obligated to hear this album if you like Riverside, because it's very important to understand their first years as a band and know their influences.

Best Songs: Us, Acronyum Love, The Time I Was Daydreaming.

My rating: ***

This review was originally written for ProgArchives.com

siLLy puPPy After RIVERSIDE released their debut album “Out Of Myself,” they were met with unexpected critical acclaim and became the next best thing in the progressive rock world with their Steven Wilson / Porcupine Tree inspired take on emotional atmospheric rock with the extra oomf of metal elements popping in from time to time. The band set out to release what they called the “Reality Dream Trilogy” which would conclude with their second and third albums “Second Life Syndrome” and “Rapid Eye Movement.” Tucked in between the first two album though the band decided to slip in a little EP called VOICES IN MY HEAD which is a collection of things to come as well as things that have been. While originally released in 2005 through Mystic Production, the band soon became singed to InsideOut Music where it has been released ever since.

VOICES IN MY HEAD contains five studio tracks and three live tracks from their “Out Of Myself” debut release. The studio tracks are mostly acoustically played with a few electronic and distorted guitar effects added in from time to time making this one a lot mellower of an experience than even the already chilled out debut. The tracks “Us” and “The Time I Was Daydreaming” would be reworked and partially reappear on “Rapid Eye Movement.” On later releases there is also a video for the song “Acronym Love.” Despite emerging in the middle of the “Reality Dream Trilogy” series, VOICES IN MY HEAD is not officially considered a part of this sequence but instead can merely be deemed a supplemental fan extra for those who can’t get enough of this stuff.

Four of the tracks are in a mellow acoustic mode with clear inspiration from Porcupine Tree with progressive rock melodies and those tricky vocal counterpoints with the instruments. Mariusz Duda while sounding distinct in his own right nails the Steven Wilson stylistic approach as does his guitar combo effect with Piotr Grudzinski who at any given moment could easily slip any of these tracks on any Steven Wilson solo offering and no one would blink an eye. The track i find most interesting is the downtempo a la Massive Attack’s “Mezzanine” album sound as heard on “Dna ts. Redum or F.Raf” which means who knows what but has a cool chilled interplay between the hypnotic groove, strong guitar riffs and Duda’s rollercoaster ride of emotional vocalizations.

The live tracks show how easily RIVERSIDE connected with audiences and that their charisma wasn’t limited to the studio. All those vocal harmonies and syncopated progginess were just as powerful in a live setting. The title track to “Out Of Myself” is by far the strongest track of this lot with that infamous stellar bass groove and strong melodic hooks that give RIVERSIDE their own sound if only for a while and should rightfully be called “Out Of Porcupine Tree” territory. Personally i find this music beautifully performed with a superior production job that allows every little swish and swirl to be heard in a crystal clear haze. My main gripe with VOICES IN MY HEAD is that it unfortunately prognosticates the fairly early burnout of creativity with the band and points to the day when they would slowly remove the heavier elements and fall completely within the derivative sounds of Steven Wilson, which is completely admirable in how well they accomplish that no small feat, but just not want i want to hear another band pulling off. One Porcupine Tree is fine, thank you. Overall a decent EP but i really only find their first two albums essential and then they lose my attention.

Kingcrimsonprog Voices In My Head is an early EP by the fantastic Polish Progressive Band Riverside, which has been released a few times. If you get the more recent versions, there are usually a music video for 'Acronym Love' and three live tracks of songs from their debut album, Out Of Myself, included in addition to the five studio tracks which make up the EP.

Despite the time of the EP's release, its lyrics do not form a part of the Reality Dream concept trilogy that is formed from the bands first three full-length studio albums.

Stylistically, for the most part, the music is pretty direct, a bit less complex and a bit shorter than the average Riverside song, but of a remarkably high quality. It is less Metal sounding than the Material which the band would release afterwards.

The EP starts off with a beautiful acoustic number called `Us,' and carries on in the somber mood with the slow, piano lead number `Acronym Love' which is a melancholic track with some absolutely superb Floyd-esque lead guitar.

`Dna Ts. Rednum or F. Raf' comes in at over seven minutes as the longest track on this EP, it's a moody and atmospheric number with a sort of hypnotic building feel and an electronic sounding drumbeat mixed into the music not too disimilarly to how their single '02 Panic Room' did.

`The Time I Was Daydreaming' comes next, which is another nice soft number with acoustic guitars and a sort of Porcupine Tree feel. Mariusz's voice is especially impressive on this track. Its my personal favourite on the EP and as good as anything on their Studio albums. Even if you don't pick up the EP I'd recommend you at least try out this track.

The EP closes out (excluding any bonus tracks) with `Stuck Between' which is sort of like a combination of all the moods that have been displayed so far. It's the sort of thing that would actually fit on commercial daytime radio, but which is beautiful and impressive anyway, sort of like the more recent Anathema albums.

Overall; Voices In My Head is a brief, but interesting and enjoyable addition to any Riverside fan's collection. There is a lot going on in the music, Michal Lapaj's keyboard and piano work is on full display and it shows an extra dimension to the band, and as a whole the EP doesn't feel low quality or unnecessary. If you like the band already, then give this a shot if you can find it for a fair price.