Five Stars for Failure built on
Joy Electric's sweet, catchy synth-pop style, but added finer shades of emotion in the group's playing and writing. The 1995 EP consists of seven songs, including remixes of
Melody's "Girl from Rosewood Lane," and "Drum Machine Joy," as well as previously unreleased songs like "Courage," "Someday I'll Be Heard," and "Keep Him in Your Thoughts," all of which feature sparser instrumentation and more down to earth lyrics than the first album. The title track in particular shows off
Joy Electric's range; "Five Stars for Failure" is a slow, moody ballad crooned by leader Ronnie Martin -- and quite a departure from the band's usually airy pop. ~ Heather Phares