Welcome to the first in what is a staggering departure for me and my house in writing an actual review about... About a thing that... That somebody else made and or did. I hope you are patient while I settle in to this new routine. I've chosen what I can only describe as a real old favourite to get started with, so at least I don't feel too strange doing something new. Aha...
Fang Island, formerly of Providence and now of Brooklyn, released this eponymous album following Day of the Great Leap and Sky Gardens in '08 and '09 respectively. In 2010, Fang Island came out and made all my Indie-Post-Instrumental-Progressive dreams come true, without me even knowing it.
I discovered this album, like all great things, completely by accident on a scrobbling session through Last.fm. I can't even remember what I was searching for at the time, I think I might even have happened upon it in the "Math Rock" tag (because Math Rock is delicious), but I definitely recall the strains of 'Sideswiper' coming through my (then new) satellite speakers. It was just excellent, that sweeping 3/4 opening giving way to 4/4 with a soft but definite distortion, before shifting back again (oh that's why it was in the Math tag huh huh huh), a big joyous sound like sunshine pressed into a CD and back again. The next track, 'The Illinois' even starts with a big crown cheer before breaking into tremolo picking that enhances the sheer brilliance of the sound before gradually winding down. The album is defined by this flow of energy, back and forth; a whole ebb and flow that really works when you just let the disc play. Doing so preserves the banding between tracks (I still haven't found a digital player that keeps that continuous effect. Any tips?) that allows these tidal forces to be even more effective. The end of 'Treeton' into 'Davy Crockett', the latter of which just builds and builds until you feel like cheering them on yourself, is a real big hitter; softly softly and then a step by step build up... This is party music through and through.
It begins how it ends, with vinyl-esque popping, imitation fireworks. Whistles and a synth riff accompanied by a heavenly Drawbar organ (through a Lesley, of course) welcome you, with open arms. "They are all with in my reach/They are free" choruses across your ears before 'Careful Crossers' smashes through, threes against twos in heavy distortion with a squealing lead over the top and liberal use of the top edge of the cymbals really characterise not only this track, but the first half of the album. The lead single, 'Daisy', is Fang Island in a nutshell, and that's a very good thing. Chunky distortion in the rhythm lines, melodic lines harmonised in thirds, lots of Drawbar sound mixed in, abrupt drops in texture, euphoric chanting of seemingly nonsense lyrics, with a calm down before the stomping intro to 'Life Coach'.
The last two tracks keep up the feeling, with 'Welcome Wagon' continuing the trend of foot-stomping intros and third-harmonised melodies, the syncopation of which cuts straight across the rhythm underneath. At times this is the most generic-sounding of the whole line up being a straight-up drums/guitar/bass track, but that melody is pretty catchy, and the consecutive fifths near the end are worth keeping your ears open for. 'Dorian' rounds the day off, with a synth flying in like a violin over the top. This is a real mellow end, with a soft shuffle behind the return of the organ, gradually coming down to the sound of distant fireworks and chirping crickets...
The band have been on paper describing their sound as "everyone high-fiving everyone", and there's no better way to say it really. They have distilled that idea into this very disc, a celebration of fun just for the sake of being cheerful. From the picture on the cover that looks like it might have been picked at random from an old family album to the jack-o-lantern pattern on the CD, there's a sense of amusement woven through the whole enterprise. This isn't the bleeding edge of sound anymore, granted, but it really is still one of my absolute favourites that's sat on my phone for instant replay ever since I got it.
Next time, I'll follow this up with Fang Island's follow up, 2012's Major. I hope I never understand!
Reviewed on a Philips AX1100/00 CD Player through Philips/O'Neill 'The Snug' SHO8802/10 headphones and Logitech Z323 2.1 Surround Speakers.
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