Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Fanfarlo - Reservoir (2009)

Posted by awmercy | Labels: , , , , , , , ,

I bought this mp3 album for a $1 during a promo offered by the band. And it's a steal. The only complaint I can see being lodged at this band is that their best songs sound like a less dramatic Arcade Fire and a more melodic Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I also hear hints of Neutral Milk Hotel and the Isolation Years – all bands I love, so what was the complaint again? The more I listen to this album, the more I like it. "Drowning Men", for example, sounds like a beautiful hybrid of those first two bands, with its nasal vocals riding urgent rhythms and just toeing the line between chaotic and pretty. But maybe that's just the fate of indie bands that play moody orchestral pop built on saws, cellos and ukuleles. My other two favorite songs are the soaring "Fire Escape" and "Luna", which features dance-ready 80's electronic clapping. It's definitely worth a listen - the songs are too consistently good to hold their influences against them.

7 comments:

Mona said...

Bad cover art, or is it just me... this one scares me a little. And not even in a good way.

July 15, 2009 4:31 PM  
awmercy said...

I agree.

July 15, 2009 5:33 PM  
Brasilliant said...

Oh, I don't know, it's more sad than scary to me. Does the cover art fit the feel of the album?

July 15, 2009 5:36 PM  
Mona said...

It looks like a bad movie poster for a Kubrick film. I'm seriously disturbed by this photo, haha. I'm going to have to sleep with the light on tonight.

July 15, 2009 5:41 PM  
War Machine said...

Can I make a request? When you mention songs you like on an album, maybe you should think about embedding a video or linking to a youtube of the song? That way everybody can hear what you are talking about.

For example, here is a link to the video for Fire Escape:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e6453HyewA&feature=related

That way you can judge for yourself if the song is dance ready. (The answer is, only if you are awmercy, who equates humping with dancing.)

July 16, 2009 6:15 AM  
War Machine said...

By the way, I'd say there's a little Beirut in there too. Maybe it's just the voice.

July 16, 2009 6:21 AM  
awmercy said...

Done. Video Embedded.

I'll start doing that more now.

July 16, 2009 6:26 AM  

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