Stock features extracts from RPWL's first two albums—God Has Failed and Trying To Kiss The Sun—which did not gel in the context of either album. Dropped for brevity and saved for future dispensation, these songs now come together as a "new" album which integrates satisfactorily into the band's scheme. The music is characteristically similar, or stylistically consistent, to be diplomatic. RPWL began existence as a Pink Floyd cover band, and they sound very much a modern continuation of Wish You Were Here-era Floyd. In fact, what's best about these tracks are keyboardist Andreas Werthaler's watery, "drippy" synth solos. Vocalist Yogi Lang replicates David Gilmour's masculine vox, one of the band's strong points. Even if their "signature" sound isn't wholly their own, RPWL aren't copyists, just banner wavers.
Stock is not heady, heavy-handed, nor complex. No frills are the frill, and sometimes a foundation is more solid if it's more pure. Every song flows into the next; "Opel" and "The Way It Is" are the most upbeat of the set—highlights are the aforementioned solos of Werthaler's, particularly in the latter track, evoking IQ's Martin Orford more than Richard Wright. The resident ten-minute cut, "Gentle Art Of Swimming," is facilitated by the production values—a murky, not muddy, ambience uniformly pervades throughout, recalling the warmth of 70s analog recording equipment; the long instrumental workout in the track's middle is easily digested. "…Swimming" sounds much closer to Porcupine Tree than Floyd, which helps explain why RPWL appeals to a percentage of PT devotees.
One of the most derivative tracks is one of the most enjoyable: "Who Do You Think You Are" evokes The Beatles, down to the merry guitar lead, bouncy cadence, and the opening 'Tron flute. However, "Sun In The Sky" makes for some heavy competition in the Bureau Of Derivations with it's femme backup singers a la Dark Side Of The Moon. "Forgive Me / Part 3" incorporates a nice Gilmour-like guitar solo. All the boxes are checked!
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