Fair To Midland – Arrows And Anchors
eOne Music 2011
It’s little surprise that a band as off-color and chaotically inventive as Fair To Midland were initially championed by System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian. While “Arrows And Anchors” marks their graduation from Tankian‘s Serjical Strike Records to new label home eOne Music; it remains no less as colorful and impulsive as their past works.
And yet despite an eclectic and earthy mixture of prog metal, alternative rock and the numerous influences and elements scattered in between, maturity has certainly begun to take hold here. In fact, these days Fair To Midland encompass so many genres that comparisons to dredg, System Of A Down and Coheed And Cambria would all somewhat fit. That being said, though the bands more raucous ways aren’t as vividly expressed, the aesthetics and structural ties of their cagey roots are rarely hard to spot.
Refreshingly nothing seems off limits for this outfit who adeptly tackle delicate synth driven melancholy as often as they erupt with crunchy propulsive art rock anthems. Whether it be the uncharacteristic country plucking meets recent Mudvayne-ish swagger of “Amarillo Sleeps On My Pillow“; or the chunky riff vs. interlocked prog momentum of “Whiskey And Ritalin“, there is something here for all.
This is both the bands proverbial blessing and curse. While a lot of ground is covered, there are many aspects that will appeal to select audiences and others that likely won’t. A song like “Musical Chairs” could easily captivate a Mutemath fan just as easily as the knuckle dragging weirdo metal of “Rikki Tikki Tavi” could repulse them. The group admirably don’t play favorites and this allows them to stay both hungry and unabashedly passionate, consequences be damned.
Sure some aspects of the album may feel borrowed (“Three Foolproof Ways To Buy The Farm” possesses more than a passing resemblance to Primus‘ “My Name Is Mud” for instance.) But with a melting pot this loaded with ingredients, it’d be foolish not to expect at least some spill over. Plus the end result more than makes up for the occasional mess encountered along the way.
- USER RATING
- ( 20 votes, 4.20 stars )
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COMMENTS
The things Darroh does with his voice are almost always interesting, but the chorus to “Uh Oh” is one of the finest examples of a well-controlled voice that I’ve ever heard. The rest of the band isn’t slouching at all, but this album is where Darroh is going to establish himself as one of the premier vocalists in the music scene. Amazing.
Fucking killer and worth the wait.
I shall be picking this up today. Was just waiting on the new 311 to come out before driving over to the next town.
This is my album of the year so far. Amazing record and well worth the money, so go get it!! only like 9$ at best buy.
unless something amazing happens, i don’t think this band will get the credit it deserves. “album of the year” is all i have heard for the last week and i even mentioned it on a previous post about the band months ago. definitely worth checking out if you haven’t!
Where have I been, the review definitely has me intrigued, I’ll definitely be checking this out today.
I really, really, really like what I’ve heard so far. This is a breath of the freshest air I’ve had in a while.
@jay, their last album, “Fables from a Mayfly” is killer as well. I’m a bit upset with myself for not hearing of these guys before that album came out since they’re from here.
How can you be from a town as small as sulphur springs and not know about them? Or were you talking like dallas area?
beautiful shit right here
Some of it truly is beautiful. I wouldn’t go so far to give it a 5 like I did to Fables…but if I could somehow give it a 4.8, I’d easily do it. I was unsure how this new one would go with such a long time in between albums, but they certainly have not disappointed. Up there with dredg (spare Chuckles) and Coheed as my two favorite non-metal bands.
If you can find them check out A Carbon Copy Silver Lining and inter.funda.stifle. Those were their first two albums and they’re pretty damn awesome too.
Dallas area, DC.
um its alright definitly enjoyable, has some el cielo moments, tikki reminds me a little of coal chambers big truck for some reason, which is cool, but i dont know if its a 5 star or 4 star cd just yet, i gotta get a few more listens in, and btw does the singer look like the son of Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny deep? just saying if jd impregnated leonardo this dude would pop out lol
Southpaw’s got a chub.
With the release of Arrows and Anchors, I’m proud to say that FTM has dethroned Dredg as my favorite band. I did an iTunes mix of “Fables from the Mayfly” and “Arrows and Anchors” and my head just about exploded.
Fair to Midland moves effortlessly between the bleeding edges of mainstream rock and modern metal, without ever truly crossing into either. Their music is inspired, layered and honest…and I hope they stay together for years to come.
Rock on FTM. You guys are my musical heroes.
These guys come nowhere close to the height of dredg, but I sampled “Whiskey and Ritalin” and realized it was a CD to purchase.
“Rikki Tikki Tavi” is fuckin’ silly and I’m not sure if it’s a sound I can warm up to.
The music is soaring and perfect for summer.
Looking forward to getting acquainted with their earlier material.
Am I the only one that’s not into this band at all? I’m even a Dredg fan.
I don’t get the Dredg comparison. I hear a kick ass version of radio rock band, ala sick puppies ect.. My younger bro called it girl metal. This album took about three listens to get into the majority of the songs. A crushing rhythm section, simple, big, powerful riffs, and a vocalist who doesn’t sound like he’s forcing it equals a good time. They ate their Macaroons said this is a summer album, he’s fucking right, more specifically a day time summer album. A few problem with this release though. First, the album closer is rather unmemorable and falls rather flat. Second, the middle of the album is rather weak. Uh Oh kind of sucks, then tracks 6-9 fail – cut the fat. On the bright side, this album has a bunch of tracks you’ll want to play over and over. This is a fun album, don’t take it seriously – I listen to this like I was listening to Gold Cobra. Rikki Tikki Tavi is a monster of a song, it hits Miley Cyrus, it’s a good time. In the end, the CD comes off a little bit to much like an early 2000s Nu-Metal album, but it’s done with good intentions. Fucking big riffs, good melodies, and killer production – this disc wails. Not an album of the year, but an album that in two years I’m sure I’ll look back on and like, but it’s impact is not as great as the internet likes to make it seem is. Think 36 Crazyfists, Bitterness the Star as a comparison in that aspect.——— When the bass drops an octave or two right before the chorus in musical chairs, that’s some fun shit guys.
meh
After waiting to let this grow 0n me 0r see if it’s another cd that never gets listened to I’d say it’s a 4 star definitely grew 0n me it has s0me cool m0ments and I hear a little dredg but n0t much and it’d be a far stretch to company the 2 afi may be more comparable. C00l stuff!
So this is my first exposure to Fair To Midland. I’ve gone through their A&A tracks on myspace, and I’m into it. To the FTM fans out there – what other 1 album MUST I check out? À l’aide!
you MUST check out inter.funda.stifle
Eh, depends on how you value production. Inter.funda.stifle is for the big FTM fans who like the more raw sound of the band. They absolutely clean up and nail those songs plus the handful of new ones on Fables From A Mayfly. Honestly both are worth checking out though after listening to AA first, I’d say go to Fables, then Inter once you’re really into Fables. I still believe Fables to be the superior album to Arrows.
LOVE this album. Darroh is an amazing singer.
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