Further Seems Forever "How to Start a Fire" CD
[Tooth & Nail]
Bring me the head of Chris Carrabba, god damnit. I'm sorry, but you don't just go and quit one of the best bands in the world to play fucking sappy acoustic bullshit that makes young boys (and girls) cry. I ran out and bought this fucking thing the day it came out with huge expectations, but needless to say it took me a good week and many listens to be able to tolerate this record without wanting to smash the CD into a million pieces because, as good as it is, it cannot hold a fucking torch to "The Moon is Down". The first several times I listened to this I was bored out of my mind and all I could think was, "Nope. No. This isn't as good as the last record. This new singer? Nope. He's not as good. What the fuck? This doesn't even sound like the same band." And then it hit me: This doesn't sound like the same band. At that point I was just like, "Okay, whatever..." It was only then that I was finally able to listen to it for what it is without listening to it as "Further Seems Forever with a new singer". I mean, shit, I don't know. The new guy can sing. He's a great fucking singer, actually. And there are some god damn incredible songs on this record. But it's just not the same. It's still what I would tag with the dreaded emo and indie rock terms, and the good songs are really catchy and memorable, but the bland songs are often pretty damn bland. On the last record there wasn't one weak song. Not one. Here there are several, and the writing honestly doesn't sound like the same band at all. If you played this for me and I had no idea what I was listening to, I'd never think, "Oh, shit, that sounds like Further Seems Forever." It doesn't. It's a bit poppier and more direct in some respects ("How to Start a Fire", "The Sound", and "Against My Better Judgement" are all you really need), and then there are some darker, perhaps jazz inspired passages in tracks like "A Blank Page Empire" and "I Am" that aren't bad, but at the same time... that just slows down the momentum. The recording here is damn solid, just like the first record, though a bit heavier on the low-end and a bit more involved with using lots of different guitar tones and what have you. I could stand for it to be a little bit brighter and for the vocals to be brought back in with the music a smidge, but it sounds stellar. I must give them a lot of credit on that end. The layout is fucking incredible here. That's the only edge this record has over their debut: The layout crushes it. The artwork is vibrant and colorful (even if it is sort of a Dave McKean ripoff) and just looks wonderful, the arrangement is tight, I like the shapes and the use of white space, the close-up shots of the paintings, etc. Very fucking nice. The lyrics are personal and seem to deal predominantly with relationships and such, but to me they're not cheesy or typical. "The time is up the verdict's in everybody's right everybody wins. Didn't you know you were a saint what a shameful fall from grace but I'll catch you. Everybody's waiting for that something they can hold on to while tripping over our own words to self-dug graves for an excuse to fall 'cause every failure's just as sweet as the last..." Ahhh, hell, I don't know. They're still a great band, but what can I say? One listen and "The Moon is Down" immediately became one of my all time favorites... some 20+ listens in and this one's just another damn good record in the collection. I really, really like this, but I can't get over the fact that it's so different and, to me, carries less emotional impact. It's not all Carrabba's fault either. Sure, that dumb bastard is a more unique vocalist than the new guy, and I think his departure from the band hurts, but the songwriting isn't as powerful on this record either. I'm not sure what to say. The last record blew my mind to the point where I couldn't even put into words how awesome it was. This one just confuses me and makes me want to say, "Fuck it. It's a good record, but I was hoping for so much more." (8/10)
Running time - 36:50, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: How to Start a Fire, The Sound, Against My Better Judgement, Insincerity as an Artform]
Tooth & Nail Records - http://www.toothandnail.com

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