I feel like I have survived some sort of Halo-17 initiation process. After struggling through a whole lot of mostly mediocre albums, the last few I've been hit with have been surprisingly good. FisherKing's debut EP is no exception to this rule and sets the band up as one to watch. "FisherKing" lives up to the self-appreciative hype that can be found on the band's website or MySpace page, as the band drift through folk, soul, roots, blues, groove, and rock, all with an unexpected ease.

Opener Who You Praying To? kicks off the God motif that appears in several FisherKing songs. It has a catchy chorus backed by a strong beat, occassionally throwing in lines like "you call this God's country but I don't know which God you mean" into a plea for truth, news (good or bad), or something. A minute and a half of instrumentation finishes the song on a high. The next track, Smellin Roses, slows things down significantly, with only an accoustic guitar accompanying Sam Stephenson's vocals for much of the song. It's a good standalone song and a favourite on Triple J (or at least, on the band's page there) but it doesn't really work that well with four more upbeat songs on the EP.

The Search for Something Different, the best track on the EP, starts with an infectious beat and FisherKing's soul-searching lyrics. Halfway through, the style of music we've become used to is replaced by... a guitar solo! The infusion of totally unexpected, but very well executed, elements throughout the EP make it so promising, and this is the best example. & Back to War has the band go from electric guitar and drum duos to low key groove & everywhere in between. It doesn't feel like the long and dull five minute marathon it could be. Closer Tanzanian Time doesn't throw anything particularly shocking at the listener, though this was easily made up for in the previous two tracks. It still makes for a decent, if somewhat consistent, ending.

"FisherKing" can be purchased from the band's website, but at $20 for 20 minutes of music it isn't the best deal out there. The entire EP, and an additional song (called God Don't Make Them) can be listened to on the band's MySpace. Hopefully FisherKing will get some much deserved attention out of this EP and go on to make a full album some time soon.