It's interesting to hear how some bands have had more of an influence on the music scene than anyone could ever have imagined.

Consider, for a moment, the band Mollys Yes. Ed Goggin and crew's debut release Wonderworld. As charming as the 12 songs on this disc are, one can't help but think as the songs blare from the speakers, "These guys owe a big debt to Live."

Indeed, there are enough similarities in the musical style to suspect that Mollys Yes - vocalist/keyboardist Goggin, bassist/vocalist Brad Mitcho, guitarist/vocalist Mac Ross and drummer Scott Taylor -- were more than a little influenced by the rockier aspects of groups like Live. But they also are able to establish their own identity off the bat -- and while they have a little difficulty maintaining that level of energy, their first effort proves to be a solid one.

One need look no further than the disc's opening track "Fall Down" as proof of this; the use of bagpipes in the opening and closing stanzas of the song alert the listener to the fact that they're about to hear something they're probably not prepared for. Fortunately, the surprise turns out to be a pleasant one, as Goggin and crew remind people why rock is supposed to be fun to listen to.

The excellence continues through tracks like "And She" (the only new track; the others come from their independent debut), "Sugar" and "Promises." The songwriting on these tracks is excellent, and the performances will leave you on your feet, screaming for more.

The difficulty on Wonderworld is that Mollys Yes has yet to learn how to put just enough backspin on some tracks to give them a different twist. So many of the songs have a similar sound that they tend to blend in together. After a while, it's hard to tell where a track like "Tell Me The Truth" stops and another like "33 White Roses" starts. It's not that these tracks are bad - far from it; it's that after a while, the listener almost becomes numb to the same sonic attack that Mollys Yes tends to use.

The band is able to recover a bit and finish the disc with some more excellent performances, like "Blind" and the title track. In the end, Wonderworld proves to be a worthwhile listen, as well as one you'll probably find yourself going back to on several occasions. But this is still very much a young band who are still sowing their musical oats, and it does take time for some lessons of the industry to be learned. Once they've done that and they figure out how to keep their music sounding fresh throughout an album, they may well be unstoppable -- and I'll be the last person to complain about that.

Rating: B+

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