8 years is a long time for any band to stay together, especially these days. Sure, you still have the stalwarts like Metallica, AC/DC and of course, The Rolling Stones (will those guys ever stop rocking?), but nowadays it is less common to see a music group that is dedicated to playing together for a long period of time. Debut and sophomore albums are usually released quickly, with a fair majority starting brightly but fading out as time passes. It is therefore surprising to come across a band who, after 8 years of playing together, have finally recorded and released their debut album. Something You Should Have represents the culmination of years of touring the country, and the band have even played in Malaysia (my home country, incidentally). Will this release springboard them onto the mainstream music scene?
Track Listing:
- Something You Should Know
- What I'd Do For You
- On The Road Again
- Disciple
- Again and Again
- Be A Light
- Between Two
- Sleepless Nights
- Grace
- My Story
- Reach
- Too Late
- Lift Me Up(Acoustic)
The band, consisting of Pete Seamons, Jesse Chatelier, Alex DesForges and Daniel Kelaart, do not fit the typical punk rock stereotype. In fact, they acknowledge their music as "heavy pop" on their Myspace page, and this is a fairly accurate description. "Something You Should Know" kick starts the album off with a bouncy beat reminiscent of pop bands such as Mcfly, but becomes a rock anthem fairly quickly. The driving guitars complement the impassioned lead vocals well, a trend that continues into the next track, which in my opinion should be the first single off the album. Catchy, short, and with lyrics destined to hit teenage girls head-on, watch this space. It may not be the next "Fall For You", but it certainly is no slouch on its own. "On The Road Again" and "Disciple" carry the progression of the album well, as they are both solid rockers, not outstanding, but getting the job done. Track 6 is the highlight of the album for me. "Be A Light" is epic in every way except the length of the song, which when compared to other epic songs such as Anberlin's "*fin" is considerably shorter. Nevertheless, the technical and musical nous displayed in this track is some of the highest I have seen in local bands. Sadly, the rest of the album is not of this standard, although the tracks are decent in their own right. "Be A Light" would have been that much more poignant had it been placed at the end of the album, but nevertheless is a standout.
I have mentioned the difference in style that Fido personify, and that they are capable of an outstanding track like "Be A Light". Having said that, none of the four band members exhibit any sort of interest in individual limelight, but rather are extremely tight rhythmically. The drums and bass work well, emphasized further by the fact that a significant majority of the songs comprise constant bass drum beats. Another thing that I noticed was the fact that there are considerably more intensity changes in these tracks than I have noticed in other albums. The band may be going full blast, when suddenly they will drop to a 60% intensity level or lower. Examples include "Something You Should Know" and "Disciple", but there are many more.
I'll be crystal clear: there is nothing new lyrically in this album. No brand-spanking new insight into the corrupted world in which we reside, no genius philosophical musings, and no epiphanies. However, there is a collection of solid, faith-based lyrics that don't go screaming "Believe in God or you will burn, BURN I TELL YOU!!" in your face. In fact, around half of the album comprises love songs (On a CHRISTIAN album? The HORROR!!!), while the other half are inspired by God's goodness and mercy (I won't go into details, save for the fact that these are the most solid Christian lyrics I have heard in a while. Listen to them and judge for yourself, though).
I can't fault the album production-wise. The number of debut albums recorded in bedrooms is quite remarkable, but Fido have gone for the safe method and recorded it at Graffiti Studios, stopping short of getting a dedicated production team and proceeding to produce the album in its entirety by themselves. It is a hugely impressive effort, as the guitars do not sound washy or over-crisp, the bass is not too deep and the drums are not too resonant. The backup vocals have also been implemented very nicely underneath the lead vocals, and do a good job of filling the musical landscape when the other instruments drop out or lower their intensity.
Despite what I've said so far, this LP is far from perfect. It has its share of flaws, some of which should ideally be rectified before the band's next release. The lead vocals sound a bit too unrefined for me, going off key in songs like "On The Road Again" and "Reach". This might have been an intended effect, but if it was it did not come off that well. Some of the experimentations with rhythm changes could have been accomplished in a slightly better fashion, but then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, no?
Fido show promise, there is no question about that. 8 years may be a rather long gestation period for a debut album, but It certainly is worth the wait if they can produce something of this quality. Expect greater stuff in the future, and they might just take the mantle of the new Antiskeptic before too long.
Rating 3.5/5
