- Artist
- Funeral For A Friend
- Label
- Atlantic
- Release date
- 14th May 2007
- Genre
- Emo/rock
Derivative riffs: check. Bombastic, whiny vocals: check. Yet more emo tedium on third album from the Welsh rockers.
Welsh five-piece FFAF have toured nearly as much as they've spent time whining about being termed "emo". Their indignant puzzlement has always been baffling. Previous albums Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation and Hours were chocker with crisply-produced, radio-friendly riffs and hooks, while frontman Matt Davies sounded all overtired and emotional. So far, so British My Chemical Romance, and look how well their emo sound has served them.
With this latest release, FFAF proclaim evolution, development, a new sound, while putting out yet another album of bog-standard emotional rock music - albeit a more melodic one than previous efforts. Technically accomplished and powerfully produced by Gil Norton (Pixes, Foo Fighters), Tales... is all power chords and pained vocals that over nine tracks morph into one exhausting soulless whinge. The exception is cinematic, string-led closer Sweetest Wave where the band finally exercise some restraint and a feel for dynamics. Otherwise, this is a sorry tale indeed.
More to try: Fall Out Boy: Infinity On High My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade Lostprophets: Liberation Transmission
