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Released 1981

When their ambitious debut album failed to capture the public's fancy, the Brains went back to basics, retaining engineer Mark Richardson and hotshot producer Steve Lillywhite from the last go-round. This time, the experimental edges are tamped down in favor of a more straight-ahead rock sound and more conventional song structures. Keyboardist and frontman Tom Gray remains focused on the minefields of relationships, as shown by self-explanatory titles like "Eyes of Ice," "House of Cards," and "No Tears Tonight." "Hypnotized" could almost fit any late-'70s Elvis Costello album, as Gray swears to use any means necessary to wrest his potential girlfriend from the competition. Hell hath no fury like a geek scorned, indeed! Not surprisingly, much of the dark humor that infused the debut album has been checked at the door -- but still spills out in unexpected places, such as on "Collision"'s macabre snapshot of life after an auto accident. Yet the overall atmosphere smells of uneasy restraint, with no obvious grabbers like the band's initial calling card, "Money Changes Everything." Two tracks come close, though. "Heart on the Street" is eloquent to the point of heartbreak; its plaintive chorus ("Jesus Christ, can't we do anything right?") might have alienated radio programmers, but still shears the false bravado that plagued much of the cheesiest '80s music. So does "One in a Million," which finds Gray still expressing hope for the underdog to prevail, buttressed by a blazing Rick Price guitar riff. Of course, nothing of the sort happened, for this album expired without a fuss, just as its predecessor had done. Mercury dropped the band, which split up after issuing the scarce Dancing Under Streetlights EP (1982). Considering the circumstances, this effort's no disgrace, but stick with the debut album. ~ Ralph Heibutzki, All Music Guide

TRACKS

1. Dream Life
2. One in a Million
3. Hypnotized
4. No Tears Tonite
5. Eyes of Ice
6. Asphalt Wonderland
7. Little Girl Gone
8. Ambush
9. Heart in the Street
10. House of Cards
11. Collision

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