Simplicity Carries A Shower Of Sparks

The Fray - The Fray
95%

The Fray are back with a new disc to kick some ass! Okay so, as opposed I am to CDs with 10 tracks only, it seems those are the best of them all (ex, The Killers - Day & Age). This is just another example of that fact. The Fray's self-titled sophomore album is only 10 songs long, but each packs something worth listening to, meaning it's extremely difficult to go through the whole CD by skipping songs because they're not just singing about the same old thing over and over again. The fact that every song is equally great makes it difficult to rate from 1 - 10, meaning favourites are all across the board here. Each song is almost perfect. Syndicate starts the disc with a melodic intro to The Fray's original style. Raw piano and gutair riffs in the background. Feels good to be home. Then Absolute turns the tables and goes darker into the emotional universe. The song is about uncertainty yet certainty, more or less a musical thesis and antithesis about love. Definately a stand-out track. Then the head single You Found Me comes next. It's a more-or-less open letter to "the man upstairs" which is an emotionally striking, yet catchy song. This mixture plays well with the piano/gutair motion. Say When kicks off next and so far takes the spotlight. The song is powerful from every direction and takes over your ears like some mix of hard rock and soft pop taunting you. The album then slows down to Never Say Never, which is an amazing song, but poses the first problem for this CD, there is so much repetition, that it feels like a time filler was just needed to boost the CD. Then Where The Story Ends picks up and lifts up every part that got you down previously. Followed by the ballad Enough For Now which can bring tears to the eyes of many if correctly listening. The next soft ballad comes in where Joe takes the mic from Isaac and sings about his leaving girlfriend. The song is great, yet repetitive near the end. Beautiful all the same. We Build Then We Break comes after, and totally shifts from normal Fray songs. Its heavy drums and gutair make it more intense than the band has ever been. Again, repetition becomes the common factor, but here it isn't as vivid because it is so blasphemous. The album closes with, without a doubt, the best Fray song of all time, known as Happiness. And its simplicity gently rises in your mind. It is a philosophical ballad, but its worth every milisecond of the 5 and a half minute period. It closes the album with a choir singing off in the distance and Isaacs vocal chords resting for the finale of a lifetime. There is no way any last song on a CD will ever beat this close.
In the end, repetition is such a small scar when the disc itself is so magnificent. Is it even fair to create an order for their greatness?

Tracks:

1. Syndicate * (9)
2. Absolute * (3)
3. You Found Me * (8)
4. Say When * (5)
5. Never Say Never * (10)
6. Where The Story Ends * (6)
7. Enough For Now * (2)
8. Ungodly Hour * (7)
9. We Build Then We Break * (4)
10. Happiness * (1)

How To Fill A Heart

The Fray - How To Save A Life (2004)
75%

Perhaps one of the most heartwarming CDs i've ever listened to is "How To Save A Life" by the artist of the month; The Fray. This is probably heavily to blame for the delivery of the sweetest lyrics ever written. The lead, Isaac Slade, powerfully emotisizes the vocals featured in the songs. When low, he makes you feel so. This is definately The Fray's strongest element. Not saying that the collaboration of gutair and piano is weak at all, in fact it also stands out with an alluring glow.
The CD kicks off with the upbeat songs "She Is" and "Over My Head" who are each covering love, which is perhaps what the CD mostly situates itself on. Then the album moves slower after these two, and stays this way for the main portion. It is this intense balladry and emotional myriad where the Fray world is truly brought to life. Songs like Vienna, Trust Me and Fall Away incorporate the best lyrics into the best instrumental fixtures.
The only big issue with this CD is that some songs are forgettable because they easily blend in with the others that sound similar. However, those that stand tall break through with immense effort. Perhaps for the next disc (out Feb 3rd, and leaking this month) let's hope these boys can incorporate more creativity into their instrumentals as they do in their lyrics.

Track Listing:
1. She Is
2. Over My Head (Cable Car)
3. How To Save A Life
4. All At Once*
5. Fall Away*
6. Heaven Forbid*
7. Look After You
8. Hundred
9. Vienna
10. Dead Wrong
11. Little House*
12. Trust Me*

Our Lives Would Suck Without HER!

Kelly Clarkson's New Single is HERE! THIS IS AMAZINGLY HOT! LOVE THIS TRACK!
The album drops on March 17th! Cant WAIT!!!

My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson
http://rs104.rapidshare.com/files/182867229/My_Life_Would_Suck_Without_You.mp3

Tonight: Is The Night

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
3/5

Its pathetic how slow Januaray has been for the music world. Nothing half interesting has hit the shelves in a while but it seems like the spring will pick things up while Kelly, The Fray, U2 and The Black Eyed Peas all release some new work!
But for the time-being, Franz Ferdinand's newest disc is under the spotlight. With the first single Ulysses mildly stepping up the charts, it didn't seem like their impact would be as big as it would've been say when they released "Take Me Out" and "Do You Wanna" in 2003 & 2005. And though they lack on the charts for the time being, it seems as though the band was focussing on making every single song worth it instead of just the singles. Almost every single song on the record projects with high jazzy feelings and loopy lyrics along with some sentimentments secretly hidden between the lines. There are also some clear stand-outs among others, such as "No You Girls Never Know", "Bite Hard" and "Lucid Dreams" whose noise can barely be reduced to such a vague generalization such as music. Fear not, the CD contains nothing really worth bashing, but then again, there is still some issue this band has with breaking out of its shell. Its now been three CDs, change it up a bit, even if it is for just a couple songs. Is it really that difficult to change? Despite this, in the end, the CD is worth listening to and its catchy stuff so it'll be in your head for a while. You decide if that can or can't hurt.

Tracklisting:
1. Ulysses
2. Turn It On
3. No You Girls Never Know *
4. Send Him Away
5. Twilight Omens
6. Bite Hard *
7. What She Came For *
8. Live Alone
9. Can't Stop Feeling
10. Lucid Dreams *
11. Dream Again
12. Katherine Kiss Me *