The Way Out Is Through
2005
[Review by Jason MacNeil]
www.popmatters.com
Exit, or Ben Londa's one-man band, is a lighter version of something Trent Reznor might have attempted back in '94 or '95. "This Is Your Year" has just enough electro and industrial touches that make it interesting, although the repetition of the title track has a growling kind of voice sounding like a cross between the Cookie Monster and Rammstein. All is not lost, though. "Slip" is at the other end of the musical spectrum -- a somber and reflective tune that brings to mind the Cure circa Bloodflowers. Londa's songs are often hit and miss, the asset in direct proportion to how low his vocals and the arrangements go. Good example of this are "Understanding Our Razing" and "Under", both of which could put you under Londa's spell. At eight songs it's a bit stingy, perhaps, yet the lush, rich texture to the majority of tunes is its biggest selling point. And the almost ethereal "The Anchor in Your Sky" only reinforces that notion.