xtianheadbanger
04/30/09, 09:00 AM
Falling Up – Fangs!
Record Label: BEC Records
Release Date: March 24, 2009
Falling Up are unpredictable. With Crashings, they produced entertaining modern rock. Following that was the disappointing Exit Lights, which drifted away from the modern rock and towards the experimental. I dismissed the band until I heard Captiva, which re-enamored me with the band by displaying a combination of the best elements of their previous two efforts. After only two years now is Fangs!,and it is one of Falling Up’s best to date, representing a trend toward the even more experimental for Jesse Ribordy and band.
First, Fangs! is a concept album. The story is about an astronaut who travels to a foreign planet, running away from his home. He finds himself taken deep beneath the ocean and taught a multitude of things about people and their nature. With these albums, one worries about the story and how it may lead the artist to compromise on the music to make the story, or perhaps that the artist will simply forget to make a good music or a good story, but Falling Up delivers.
The album opens with a group chorus on “A Colour Etopian.” The song is one of the hardest on the record. “Lotus and the Languorous” displays the more electronic side of Falling Up. Following that is the highlight “Streams of Woe at Acheron,” which is one of my favorite Falling Up tracks of all time. From the crunching guitars to the towering vocals, the song keeps me glued to the headphones from beginning to end. Fangs slows down with “The Magician Reversed” but picks up with “Golden Arrows,” only to slow down completely with “The King’s Garden.” Many of these songs feature eerie choruses and references to golden arrows, referring to a dream Ribordy had many years ago. “Panic and the Geo-Primaries” throws back to “Arc to Archtilles,” featuring many of the same lyrics and melodies. Fangs! continues, taking the character into the intrigue of the King’s court under the sea, only to be thrown out and eventually reach the surface.
Fangs! is very well done. The album is crisp in production. Ribordy’s vocals soar throughout the album, which shows his continual evolution. Though very experimental and soft, the guitars slam throughout the album, as in “The Moon and Sixpence.” Josh Shroy drives these harder songs, but additionally his drums sound interesting combinations on the slower songs. The lyrics may seem strange, but this stems from Ribordy’s readings of Greek and other cultures’ mythologies, producing a story unlike any other. Actually, the lyrics are at many points are quite beautiful.
To conclude, Fangs! is excellent. For those looking for Crashings part two, look elsewhere. Even those looking for anything the band has done before might want to look elsewhere. This album is unlike anything Falling Up has ever done, but to anyone liking the direction Captiva took the band into, I wholly recommend Fangs! Though very experimental, the story is intriguing as are the references to ancient mythology.
Greek Mythology; Captiva; Future of Forestry
Check out Falling Up on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/fallingup).
Record Label: BEC Records
Release Date: March 24, 2009
Falling Up are unpredictable. With Crashings, they produced entertaining modern rock. Following that was the disappointing Exit Lights, which drifted away from the modern rock and towards the experimental. I dismissed the band until I heard Captiva, which re-enamored me with the band by displaying a combination of the best elements of their previous two efforts. After only two years now is Fangs!,and it is one of Falling Up’s best to date, representing a trend toward the even more experimental for Jesse Ribordy and band.
First, Fangs! is a concept album. The story is about an astronaut who travels to a foreign planet, running away from his home. He finds himself taken deep beneath the ocean and taught a multitude of things about people and their nature. With these albums, one worries about the story and how it may lead the artist to compromise on the music to make the story, or perhaps that the artist will simply forget to make a good music or a good story, but Falling Up delivers.
The album opens with a group chorus on “A Colour Etopian.” The song is one of the hardest on the record. “Lotus and the Languorous” displays the more electronic side of Falling Up. Following that is the highlight “Streams of Woe at Acheron,” which is one of my favorite Falling Up tracks of all time. From the crunching guitars to the towering vocals, the song keeps me glued to the headphones from beginning to end. Fangs slows down with “The Magician Reversed” but picks up with “Golden Arrows,” only to slow down completely with “The King’s Garden.” Many of these songs feature eerie choruses and references to golden arrows, referring to a dream Ribordy had many years ago. “Panic and the Geo-Primaries” throws back to “Arc to Archtilles,” featuring many of the same lyrics and melodies. Fangs! continues, taking the character into the intrigue of the King’s court under the sea, only to be thrown out and eventually reach the surface.
Fangs! is very well done. The album is crisp in production. Ribordy’s vocals soar throughout the album, which shows his continual evolution. Though very experimental and soft, the guitars slam throughout the album, as in “The Moon and Sixpence.” Josh Shroy drives these harder songs, but additionally his drums sound interesting combinations on the slower songs. The lyrics may seem strange, but this stems from Ribordy’s readings of Greek and other cultures’ mythologies, producing a story unlike any other. Actually, the lyrics are at many points are quite beautiful.
To conclude, Fangs! is excellent. For those looking for Crashings part two, look elsewhere. Even those looking for anything the band has done before might want to look elsewhere. This album is unlike anything Falling Up has ever done, but to anyone liking the direction Captiva took the band into, I wholly recommend Fangs! Though very experimental, the story is intriguing as are the references to ancient mythology.
Greek Mythology; Captiva; Future of Forestry
Check out Falling Up on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/fallingup).