|
| |
The Fray - The Fray
- The Fray’s self-titled sophomore album features beautiful music and evocative lyrics. The problem is, it may very well put you to sleep. The quasi-alternative quartet’s white-hot debut album, “How To Save A Life” garnered them instant credibility in 2006. However, their 2009 release falls short of expectations.
The album opens strong with one of the up-tempo tracks on the album, “Syndicate.” The song is a steady progression to a feint dose of adrenaline, instrumentally, with a lead-in by front man Isaac Slade on piano. “Absolute,” “Where The Story Ends,” and “We Build Then We Break” breathe some liveliness into this album, sharing an up-tempo beat while showcasing The Fray’s different strengths. “Absolute” jumps right into a pulsating guitar riff that fades off as the vocals come on, and then re-ignites for the chorus, creating an effective peak and valley sound to compliment the lyrics, which are driven by the eternal dilemma of why we are all here. While up-tempo, “Absolute” is a dark composition that inspires multiple listens.
“Where The Story Ends” is much more light-hearted, in composition and emotion, as it runs through the end of a relationship. You feel the somber tone in Slate’s voice, (does he have any other kind?) however, the high-energy piano ballad creates a compelling dichotomy.
The most unique track, by The Fray's standards, is “We Build Then We Break.” The track creates a hazy feel as Slade jumps between singing and shouting, backdropped by a constant drumbeat. Despite a mediocre guitar solo late in the track, there are little other instrumentals.
The first single off the album, “You Found Me” shares the common theme of finding, then questioning faith as life pushes you down. While Slate is a storyteller in his music and videos, he is also a masterful poet, opening this single with inspired verse: “I found god, on the corner of First and Almistad/ where the west was all but won/ all alone, smoking his last cigarette/ I said, ‘Where you been?’/ He said, ‘Ask Anything.’”
His storytelling, though, does comes through in a grandiose way in “Say When,” as the voice of the band from Denver melds several the themes of love, war, time and mortality into a thrilling song. Perhaps more on this song than any other, Slade’s vocals work to enhance the action, not falling into the casual delivery that characterizes much of his work. “Never Say Never,” “Enough For Now,” and “Ungodly Hour” all fall under the umbrella of the piano ballad. While each track may lag so much that you may fall asleep, each also brings their respective charm.
“Happiness,” like “We Build Then We Break,” deviates from their usual adult contemporary sound. The track is stripped down and features Slade’s introspective vocals accompanied by only an acoustic guitar. At the track’s midway point piano, percussion and a chorus break in, then slowly fade out as the song and album close softly and somberly.
As a whole, Slade’s voice does some of his own lyrics injustice. When they should be filled with contempt, frustration, or an emotion other than whichever one causes him to drone on like he does, he falls flat. Additionally, the band’s collaboration with producers Mike Flynn and Aaron Johnson could have gone better. Instrumentally, there are points in the album, like “Where The Story Ends,” where the sound is shoddy.
However, the sad-song band, as they might as well be called, recorded a simple and diverse 10-track album, which should be saluted with all of the over-done muck out there. For those who liked “How To Save A Life,” this album is for you.
Reviewer: Brian Donnelly
new
Reviewer's Rating: 7
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 30-Jun-2009
Talk to other readers about this story.
|
|
|
|
|
