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Their
name may be Flaw, but their major label debut, Through The Eyes,
is far from an imperfection. In fact, I would go as far to
say that this album is rare and even flawless. It seems to
me that much of music today is based on boyfriend-girlfriend
relationships: either those that have gone astray or those that
are blissful. Seldom does an artist come along who sings
about the true trials and tribulations surrounding life.
However, Louisville, Kentucky's Flaw, made up of Chris Volz
(vocals), Ryan Jurhs (bass, vocals), Lance Arny (guitar), Jason
Daunt (guitar, keyboards), and Chris Ballinger (drums), does just
that.
Primary lyricist Chris Volz has been through every
feeling of hurt imaginable and yet he's not afraid to share those
emotions with us on this album. In "Whole," a song written
about his mother's suicide, Volz's pain and loneliness is evident
when he sings: "I am standing here desperate in the cold; since
you took your life, mine just has not been whole." In "Best
I am," a song many can understand, he states, "it's so hard, so
hard to think about when I was a child -- so angry at life, I
blamed the world for such a long, long, time." Flaw also
plays about some of life's harsh, unforgiving lessons in "Only The
Strong," with lyrics such as, "we all know, only the strong
survive" and "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer for
real."
Now, I'm not usually a big fan of heavy music, but
Flaw's emotional and ponderous rock sound wonderfully enhances
their lyrics without drowning out Volz's voice. I can't sing
the praises of this album enough. Just listen to it!
Believe me, you'll relate; you'll want to cry; you'll want to get
up and move; and you'll want to listen to it over and over again!
-Kristal Austin
Links:
www.flaw.com |
In the
three-year hiatus between albums, Foo Fighters’ members took a
break and found solace in side projects. Grohl dug into
heavy metal with his homemade project, Probot, and smacked the
skins for the new Queens of the Stone Age album. Chris Shifflett
strummed the six-stringer with his old band, No Use for a Name. Nate Mendel laid some bass for Sunny Day Real Estate. And
drummer Taylor Hawkins OD’d on heroine. They all had their
hands full.
The result: a sonically balanced and refreshing dose of
pop “rawk” in the Foo’s vigorous new set, One by One.
A stampede of metal riffs collides into Grohl’s
trademark primal scream in the first single and album opener, “All
My Life.” As the song climaxes, Grohl belts out, “Done! Done! On
to the next one!” — a foreshadowing of bigger and stronger songs
to come, written with their signature precision.
The next three tracks are three of the most interesting
songs ever crafted by the Foos. “Low” busts into zigzagging
riffs dipped in fuzz overtop drummer Taylor Hawkins’ machine-gun
meters. A spine-wobbling B-52’s bounce dominates wickedly
addictive, “Have it All.” The chemistry between Grohl and
Shiflett couldn’t be better, with vocals and guitars in constant
harmony. Knocking ‘em down is possibly the happiest
reflection anthem ever written: “Times Like These.” Each
refrain builds on the previous and after the ascending guitar
solo, one can’t help but sing along with an ear-to-ear smile.
And try not stomp your foot to the feel-good acoustic ditty,
“Halo.”
Ubiquitous fuzz drapes over many tracks, and Shiflett’s
addition to the band finally adds a capable back-up singer.
Foo fans can be deterred by some of the band’s new tricks, but
here’s advice that’ll make them think past tired songs like
“Overdrive” and “Burn Away.” First, never listen to any song
once before writing it off. Case in point: “Tired of You”
blossoms into a dark, romantic aura after a few listens.
Second, this is one of the rare rock albums nowadays not loaded
with stolen riffs, sampling, and an abrasive image to front.
None of these songs are sugarcoated jingles ready to package in
the next big soda commercial.
On the whole, the album showcases new metal-infused
tools, making their songs tower over their punk-inspired debut
album. It’s very apparent in the album’s arena-filling
closer, “Come Back.” After Mendel and Hawkins almost capsize
the song with bumps and beats, Grohl loudly sings “I will come
back!” as One by One fades into finish.
Please do.
-Mike
Caggeso
Links:
www.foofighters.com
www.rcarecords.com |
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