He's not afraid of looking foolish or immature. On Paranoia, he mischievously responds to an accusation of adultery by listing all the women he's not seeing. Paranoia Key of E segues into Mystic Child with Reed and guitarist Mike Rathke's crunching chords. Future Farmers of America is a kickass, unsubtle rocker with Reed playing an angry slave. White Prism is successfully ambitious, swingly back and forth from attacking rocker to thoughtful ballad, depicting himself as an indentured servant in his marriage, both in his willingness to serve and in the feeling of being in a subordinate position that tells him it's time to go.
Ecstasy works on slower, reflective songs, as well as the rockers.
The song has a sweet, relaxed tone that builds into choruses that mix in buzzing guitars. Horns create a gentle, reflective mood on Tatters. Reed's voice is appealingly unassuming as he compares how others deal with problems with how his nonconfrontational relationship does. At the end he suddenly shifts to an angrier tone, stunned that the problems could mean the end of his marriage. Ecstasy often compares favorably to his 1982 Blue Mask record, the first of a trilogy with Legendary Hearts and New Sensations which brought his work back from decline, by unflinchingly examining his marriage.