Sometimes the best
Fall songs don't land on
Fall albums, as this 2016 EP proves. The title cut of Wise Ol' Man is an instant
Fall classic. It throbs and snarls with a sense of purpose that sticks in the head, thanks to
Elena Poulou and the sweet, yet stern, chorus she delivers. "All Leave Canceled" is one of those sprawling epics from the group that entrances the whole way through, and there's the new-meets-old medley of "Facebook Troll/No Xmas for John Quays," a gift for fans and a fierce, captured-in-the-studio example of what the on-stage
Fall can do with old tunes. Add remixes and instrumentals and this short set gets knocked down a peg, but it's a classic EP in its own way, jumbling brilliance with clearing-house stuff, and ending up a desirable package, instrumental and all. ~ David Jeffries