Thursday, February 12, 2009
It’s been nearly four years since The Fray indulged fans with its mellow, cinematic sounds. Now the band is back with its self-entitled sophomore album in hopes of intriguing fans once more.
The Fray swooned, courted and wedged its way into the hearts of music lovers with songs such as “How to Save a Life” and “Over My Head.” The Fray’s attempt to bring the same melodious sounds that were first produced is now a disappointment.
Almost each track starts off with the tuneful sounds of the piano, with the exception of “Syndicate” and “Absolute.” Later the rich timbre of lead singer, Isaac Slade, flows through, followed by the guitar and drums. The Fray aims for a more dramatic sound, but fails to pull it off with the repetitive, dreary tunes.
In the first single, “You Found Me,” the group’s attempt to swoon fans was thwarted by the not-so-poetic lyrics of finding “God on the corner of First and Amistad/where the West was all but won.” In “Happiness,” the lead vocalist makes an unpleasant sound by slurring the words for more than a minute while the chorus and instrument tune out each other. Ballads, such as “Ungodly Hour” and “Never Say Never,” drag on as dull and repetitive.
Overall, The Fray does not produce the hit-making songs such as on the first album. The album is dull and lacks originality, falling into the endless category of temporary music with lack of variety. In the words of The Fray in “Never Say Never”: “Pull it together again.”
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