Though it contains a number of number of minor gems,
Body Exit Mind sees
New Fast Automatic Daffodils taking a step in the wrong direction. Overlong by at least 15 minutes, due to more than a few extended, bloated tracks, the album lacks much of the fun the band exhibited in
Pigeonhole. The song titles don't lie; the band became slightly bitter somewhere after the release of that album. "Bruises," "How Much Longer Must We Tolerate Mass Culture," and "What Kind of Hell Is This" detail a world-weary view in their lyrics and music. Guitar squall takes the place of the dub vibes of the band's debut. The tone is heavier and murkier, with too much needless distortion where melodies would have been more appropriate. When the band kicks things into high gear, they excel. "Bruises" displays a dreamy sound reminiscent of
Ride, and the song never fails to impress with its gentle dynamics. "American Money," outside of its obvious social commentary, is one of the few times that the distortion works, sounding not unlike
the Wedding Present with more attitude and style. Five short interludes mostly meander. They are typical of the album's general lack of focus, though "How Much Longer Must We Tolerate Mass Culture" is so brittle and beautiful that it suggests the band could have been excellent ambient soundsmiths. Nowhere near as compelling as
Pigeonhole,
Body Exit Mind is an album searching for a personality and finding only a few cohesive shafts of light amidst dollops of confusion. ~ Tim DiGravina