What happens when you combine the exquisite sounds of David Gray, Colplay, a dash of U2, and a sprinkling of Oasis? You get The Fray. Their eponymous sophomore release is a blend of cool jazz, modern adult rock, and heartfelt vocals that create a wonderfully satisfying sound. The Fray is one of the better new bands to come out in a while, and their second release does a lot to solidify that statement.
Drenched in radio friendly pop rhythms, one would think that The Fray are on a lightning fast track to “here today, gone tomorrow” hell, but they aren’t. The Fray contains ten exceptional songs that are worthy of multiple listens. This is not a band you hear on the pop radio and say, “Oh, I like that,” and then promptly forget about them. This is a band where you hear their record for the first time, stop, and say, “Oh, my! That’s good!” That was my reaction the first time I played The Fray in its entirety. I played it again right after that, and then again. It received about 6 plays in a row before I finally shut it off for the evening.
The Fray is adult contemporary that your mother will like, your son will like, and they will like enjoying it with you. In other words, it’s music for the entire family. This could be the new incarnation of U2, but I won’t hold up any comparisons this early. I will say this: The Fray is one of the best records that I’ve heard in a long time, and it’s worthy of your time and money.
With fabulous tracks such as You Found Me, Never Say Never, and the absolutely superb Happiness (which ends the album), The Fray is a stunning collection of songs that falls just short of being hailed a perfect album. It is a borderline masterpiece, but pulls up just shy of that perfect rating that only a handful of albums have ever achieved.
The blend of piano, drums, guitars and synthesizers mixed with jazz, rock, pop, and alternative are what make The Fray stand out. They have a better sound than Coldplay, they have well written, complex lyrics that make the listener think, and their songs are fun and snappy. That’s a pure recipe for success. Unfortunately, it’s a recipe that not a lot of bands have been following lately. The Fray did and they served it well. The proof is in the CD, and this one shows just how great this band is.
Ryo’s Rating: 9.5 (out of 10)
Track Listing
Syndicate
Absolute
You Found Me
Say When
Never Say Never
Where The Story Ends
Enough For Now
Ungodly Hour
We Build Then We Break
Happiness
Drenched in radio friendly pop rhythms, one would think that The Fray are on a lightning fast track to “here today, gone tomorrow” hell, but they aren’t. The Fray contains ten exceptional songs that are worthy of multiple listens. This is not a band you hear on the pop radio and say, “Oh, I like that,” and then promptly forget about them. This is a band where you hear their record for the first time, stop, and say, “Oh, my! That’s good!” That was my reaction the first time I played The Fray in its entirety. I played it again right after that, and then again. It received about 6 plays in a row before I finally shut it off for the evening.
The Fray is adult contemporary that your mother will like, your son will like, and they will like enjoying it with you. In other words, it’s music for the entire family. This could be the new incarnation of U2, but I won’t hold up any comparisons this early. I will say this: The Fray is one of the best records that I’ve heard in a long time, and it’s worthy of your time and money.
With fabulous tracks such as You Found Me, Never Say Never, and the absolutely superb Happiness (which ends the album), The Fray is a stunning collection of songs that falls just short of being hailed a perfect album. It is a borderline masterpiece, but pulls up just shy of that perfect rating that only a handful of albums have ever achieved.
The blend of piano, drums, guitars and synthesizers mixed with jazz, rock, pop, and alternative are what make The Fray stand out. They have a better sound than Coldplay, they have well written, complex lyrics that make the listener think, and their songs are fun and snappy. That’s a pure recipe for success. Unfortunately, it’s a recipe that not a lot of bands have been following lately. The Fray did and they served it well. The proof is in the CD, and this one shows just how great this band is.
Ryo’s Rating: 9.5 (out of 10)
Track Listing
Syndicate
Absolute
You Found Me
Say When
Never Say Never
Where The Story Ends
Enough For Now
Ungodly Hour
We Build Then We Break
Happiness
1 comment:
Great blog!! Just bookmarked it. I'll be back...
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