Unkle’s latest release has a problem, right off the bat. It’s the title.

End Titles…Stories For Film seems to promise something that it never quite delivers. Because if your brain conjures up something cinematic, something minimally spacious, or even something particularly unique from the group, they’re here to fool you.

Which is a shame, because instead of pulling the chair out from under you after promising one thing, Unkle should have just embraced what it actually is, rather then hide behind a fancy name. It’s a companion paroduct, and a really good one at that. If that was not their intent and they aspired for something more, I hate to be the one to break the news to them. Because if it’s put together as well as this one, there’s no harm in just flat out calling it what it is, and giving people reasonable expectations.

In fairness, many of the tracks on this collection were actually created for, or used in films. But we generally listen to albums without press releases, and when taken strictly as music on disc or files, that aspect of it does not come across.

The reason I harp on this at the beginning is because it’s very clearly treading the same aural waters as its predecessor, War Stories. It’s a comparable cast of characters, reprising roles fully established before, and on enjoyable material to boot.

But a direct follow-up is what it sounds like. It’s more cohesive than a B-sides collection however, so it should still be considered as its own work. But if War Stories was your cup of tea, you’ll feel right at home here.

And if for some reason it wasn’t, then don’t expect much difference here. Because the same rock band chug with a hint of electronica, many of the same featured vocalists, and the same ever-so-brief slow respites used here are very much in line with War Stories. And personally I think that’s a good thing, and not something to shroud.

Although the sound of End Titles… has a familiar feel to it, it still holds together very nicely as a collection. The pacing and sequence are well planned and feel organic. The first half of the record contains a bit more of the rock vibe, starting with “Cut Me Loose,” while the latter portion brings the pace down, offering a bit more relief to both the vocal tracks and the brief instrumental interludes.

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