It's an odd experience when a song makes you double-take your sobriety. I was simply relaxing at home, when I decided to listen to the new BEYOND THE MORNINGLIGHT EP, 'Dreaming Stoned'. As the title suggests, these tracks are a little trippy, and after 30 seconds of my 'journey' through the record I was sat upright checking my pulse and looking for joint ends under my bed.

The entire record is an ode to oddness, with out-landish sounds fluttering in the distance and interesting effects laced over the guitars. Runar Beyond's voice is uncommon and a little unsettling, I don't believe it could stand alone, but when grouped with the backing ensemble it actually sounds really nice; the wavering and unsteadiness suit perfectly. One thing that should also be taken note of is that this is a majority one man effort, with Beyond covering: vocals, guitars, bass, mellotron, and organ, the rest being added in production.

Track 4, 'A Moment in Time' features an excellent tempo change in the early stages of the song, which was the culprit for my unexpected mind-warp. Drawing similarity to TURIN BRAKES 'Future Boy', this is a personal favorite; a very gloomy and spacey piece.
What makes 'A Moment in Time' the most enjoyable song on the release however, is the fact that it's the most individual. The other 3 tracks follow the same basic structure as each another. The acoustic guitar, that features on all of the songs, uses an outstandingly similar (if not, exactly the same) strumming pattern; which became greatly noticeable and a bit annoying.

If you were to listen to these three, I would recommend title track 'Dreaming Stoned'. This shows a diverse use of instruments, which provides interest, and also paints Beyond's music talents in a better light. The work clearly has emotion behind it and lyrics such as 'Open a vein and bleed for me' vouch for this and give it more substance.

I did enjoy the EP, it was fun to listen to and I had a good time with it. But I couldn't get over how every song is basically the same; it added a sour taste to the mix. There isn't much more to say, have a listen and see what you think. A solid record but could be more creative.