Marvelous Things picks up where
Laughing City left off, offering another EP's worth of dreamy, whimsical alt-rock. The mix of ethereal vocals and muscular guitars on "Marvelous City" itself recalls the heavier sound
the Cranberries tried for after hitting it big with their jangly pop, but with more creativity and restraint. A slight sameness pervades the title track and "Memories," and indeed, the whole EP isn't much of a departure from their debut, but it's hard to complain too much when
Eisley makes such sweetly vulnerable music and writes songs as lovely as "Sea King." "The Winter Song" is also quite pretty, a slow-building travelogue of snowy sights that uses the
DuPree sisters' vocals to full effect. While
Laughing City is a more striking release, with
Marvelous Things Eisley shows that the group has basically mastered the EP format. Hearing them expand their sound into an album should be a pretty marvelous thing, too.