Even are an Australian indie rock three-piece fronted by singer-songwriter-guitarist, Ashley Naylor with Matthew Cotter on drums and Wally Kempton (also known as Wally Meanie) on bass guitar and backing vocals. They formed in March 1994 and played regularly around the live music scene and toured both nationally and internationally.
Even's third studio album, A Different High, was issued on 14 May 2001, which peaked at No. 48 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and reached No. 10 on the ARIA Alternative Albums Chart. Guesting on the album were Renée Geyer on vocals, Graham Lee (ex-The Triffids) on pedal steel guitar and Bruce Haymes (of Paul Kelly Band) on organ, piano and Wurlitzer.
Damas opined that for A Different High, "the scales begin to tip more heavily toward the more bloated side of '70s classic rock and away from modern pop". David Simons of OnStage Magazine noticed that it "finds Naylor sharpening the hooks, tightening the grooves, and multiplying the guitar sounds like never before. The result is an album's worth of the most tuneful pop you're likely to find on any continent.”
On their sophomore effort, “Come Again” Even walked the fine line between rock and pop and between classic and modern rock to excellent results. Their ability to bridge rock's subgenres made Come Again into an accomplished, timeless record that became a critical favourite. On their third album, 2001's A Different High, the scales begin to tip more heavily toward the more bloated side of '70s classic rock and away from modern pop. That doesn't mean that A Different High is the product of a different band, but it does mean that many of the '60s elements in their music have begun to fade away in favour of epic balladry (such as "Bowie in My Dreams"), longer musical excursions, and less-compact song writing. The finest moments here are when they do reel it in a bit, such as the moving, string-laden single "Shining Star" or the power poppy "Seconds" and "Kommercial Radio." It's not that A Different High is a major departure from what Even has been doing, but after perfecting the formula with their last album they've opted for something slightly different, with slightly mixed results. Still, even though Even's audience is mostly made up of pop fans, nothing here sounds much different than the excellent offerings from a band like the Shazam, nor is it a shocking departure from Come Again.
1 I'm Gonna Try 5:55
2 Electric Light 4:53
3 Life Gets In The Way 4:52
4 Shining Star 3:15
5 Seconds 4:18
6 Kommercial Radio 3:47
7 Beautiful Day Never End 3:42
8 Bowie In My Dreams 6:44
9 Uncommonwealth 2:33
10 Rock And Roll Save My Life 4:03
11 The Beat Parade 4:05
12 Mountain High 2:14
13 We Are The Purple Nazz 8:07
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