The indie label, but far superior, follow up to What Goes On, the band's 1994 Charisma debut,
Different is the last album
the Sighs recorded before the band split and it's members went on to work with such notables as Cardinal Woolsey,
Kevin Salem and
the Ware River Club. A genuine standout in the often-overrated subgenre of '90s power-pop, the album is conspicuously devoid of bad songs and even manages to inject some emotional variety into this often one-dimensional style. In addition, a gentle sense of melancholy pervades the album, lifting the proceedings a notch above the "girls, cars, girls" thematic monotony of contemporaries like
Material Issue. "Situations," "Already Said Goodbye" and the beautiful "Lost Friend" in particular justify the band's name with lilting melodies and earnest playing. Sonically,
the Sighs were always more on the Shoes/
Cheap Trick side of the pop fence (as opposed to
Badfinger/Raspberries) and the guitars rock mightily here. Lead singer Tommy LaRoche's voice is at its smooth best and he delivers the lyrics with a perfect combination of quiet desperation and hopeful yearning. ~ Pemberton Roach