When I Pretend to Fall was one of my favorite albums of aught-three (behind Hearts of Oak and Electric Version), so I'd been looking forward to what the Long Winters did next for a while. So while I have to wait until next year for "The Sopranos" and a full-length Winters album (damn you for being so slow, 2005), there's a new EP to tide us over, and a free song to download.

Unfortunately, "Ultimatum" doesn't really do anything for me. It's got the timeless (or anachronistic) feel of "Bride and Bridle" and a real lack of focus which makes a song less than four minutes feel a lot longer. Besides, I was never a big "Bride and Bridle" fan; on Pretend, I liked the pop of the songs at the beginning and the wit of the songs toward the end. This, like "Bride", feels both chilly and indulgent. It doesn't make cookies with real butter, if you know what I mean.

But I will always have "Scared Straight". Now there's a song...