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,