It’s probably the "least beautiful" record by Game Theory, this 1983 EP, but if only we had more “less beautiful” ones like this... In any case, if it is, it’s only because in the first half of the EP, Miller leaves room, both compositional and vocal, for the other members of the band, especially Juhos, who nonetheless achieves results that I find absolutely respectable, but clearly below the level of the best Miller. The first half of the EP, all Miller-like, is perfect, three great songs with "Penny, Things Won’t", the masterpiece of the EP, serving as a manifesto for Scott's more unpredictable and intricate compositional side, here clearly moving in the opposite direction from the contemporary mainstream pop, with a song that experiments with pop material, making it irregular, twisted, and difficult, alternating those wonderfully catchy guitar parts with a structure that is decidedly less "popular". "Metal and Glass Exact" follows a similar line, while the beautiful "Selfish Again" has a more canonical structure and a melodic pop inspiration, as always, impeccable. In the remaining three tracks, "Life in July," co-written by Miller and Nancy Becker and sung by her, is the most adorable, but the two by Juhos are quite charming as well. It's a shame their omission from the compilations that should collect the two EPs from '83-'84 of Theory, but which exclude Juhos's tracks, making my nose crinkle as an absolutist of complete works.
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