Fathers Against Parades - The Heat
Record Label: None
Release Date: November 7, 2007
Easy, breezy tunes that feel soothing being brushed across your ear lobes is what Fathers against Parades create on their latest release The Heat. The 6-track EP is an introduction to the band’s calmly sonic mirages which can be described as a cross between the casual seafaring stride of Zox and the soft rock punctuations that Controlling the Famous have been noted for making. Though both Zox and Controlling the Famous are known for blending ska and rock, Fathers against Parades tip the scales in favor of folk rock, but still there is something about Fathers against Parades that is reminiscent of these fine ska-slanted bands which makes FAP’s music so attractive.
The band shows a country-folk bent in the briskly layered chord rings of “Crabaugh,” and the sparsely dotted notes coursing along the ballad “Tell me All Your Reasons” strewn a fly-away bedroom pop jetty making an assembly that gently rock you right into a dreamscape. The bobbling piano keys of “Kevorkian” played by lead singer Justin Soileau are beautifully assorted but then become violently twisted in the outro. Soileau’s vocals on “Gray” have meaningful inflections when he imparts “And you find out it isn’t cut and dry / It isn’t black or white / Just gray.” The slight wedges formed by the guitar chords of Soileau, Michael Peters, and Adam Floyd make for a good buffer along the melodic folds, and the flowy rhythmic pulses of drummer Dalton Different and bassist Robby Walker have a routine rate that makes the tune very comfortable to listen to like a pop tune without the tart-like confections. “The Man on The Screen” has a modern rock template that makes this the heaviest tune on the record, whereas “Daises and Bones” falls more on the folk rock side of the spectrum with cottony textured chords.
Fathers against Parades have the temper of a soft rock band with folk rock washers relatable to Midlake. Though FAP have three guitarists, you would not know that by listening to their songs because the guitars blend into the melodic fabric comfortably. All songs are written by Justin Soileau who does an excellent job of navigating the flow of the melodies and the punctuations and vocal inflections made along the course of the album. The band has appeared on the MTVU’s hit series “The Freshman” and presently they have several tracks posted on their myspace page. Hailing from Lumberton, Texas, Fathers against Parades have potential, and as long as they keep tapping into their creativity energies, their music will be able to carry them a long way.
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