Funeral For A Friend – Tales Don’t Tell Themselves (Atlantic)
3/5
By: Jacob Dunkley
Returning with a cinematic third album in an attempt to make people rethink that 'emo' tag, we have here none other than Funeral For A Friend. Gone are the tortured screams of old and in their place sit large string sections and melodies which would make McFly jealous. And perhaps for these very reasons, 'Tales...' can make you a little nauseous in places, with outlandish backing vocals and polished production going too far, but certainly the ambition behind this album is a step in the right direction. Far from 'why does nobody love me?', Funeral Friend have delivered a concept album about a guy stranded at sea, and in an attempt to get a full sense of the story, I attempted to listen to it all the way through in one sitting...
Having never written a concept record myself (I imagine it's quite a difficult thing to do), I can't be sure, but I'd guess the running order picks itself. So, FFAF kick off with 'Into Oblivion' (also the first single off the record), and it's as you would expect - big vocals, bigger guitars and catchy melodies that'll do it for you if you already liked the band and leave you cold if you didn't. That said, this album does have some great stand out tracks that even non-fans would happily listen to more than once. 'Raise the Sail' is the strongest with its soaring vocals and really tight, well thought out structure, and 'The Sweetest Wave' elsewhere is an epic closer which shows just how much more mature this band have come.
Yet overall, it's little more than alright - hardly likely to change the world. It might make you think of them as something over than emo, but that alone doesn't make them good. That said, fans of FFAF will love this - in fact, they'll probably think it's the best thing since bread became sliced. Those never really in to the band previously should give it a try, as the cinematic, epic feel they've gone for is admirable. Personally? Apart from the three tracks mentioned, I'll pass...
Stream two tracks from 'Tales Don't Tell Themsevles' HERE.
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