Fang Island’s new album ‘Major’ has the same theatricality, quirk and sensational melody that helped catapult bands like fun. into mainstream consciousness this year, and with a sophomore album as sophisticated as this, one would hope such an event could be replicated.
That is not to say that Fang Island are merely a copy-cat band, as this is an album that shifts sporadically between cerebral eccentricities and soon to be indie-floor fillers. The opening track ‘Kindergarden’ is infused with such life- affirming harmonies that you would be forgiven for thinking that you are in fact hearing the musical equivalent of a Morgan Freeman movie. Fang Island are displaying no symptoms of the ‘tricky second album’ on this record. It is also true that this is a band that is certainly not shy about the broader pop influences that imprint themselves on ‘Major’, as much of the album is centred around lively synth keyboards and to my eternal joy, ‘Never Understand’ even features an extended keyboard solo. The undeniable truth rock n’ roll has taught us, is there can never be enough keyboard solos.
As we head to the latter half of the album, the infectiousness doesn’t let up, singable riffs are in abundant supply and that friday feeling of joyous abandonment permeates strongly. Really, it is becoming quite obvious that you would have to be a surly miser indeed to not enjoy an album that echoes the idiosyncrasy of power pop greats Jellyfish with a touch of Superdrag. If there was a fault to the album it would be that ‘Major’ – like its namesake suggests – sicks staunchly to the neatness of such a musical key. It would have been interesting to hear more songs in the vain of ‘Chime Out’ which shies away from the constant optimism of previous songs in favour of a tad more introspectiveness.
Overall though the album is of an impressive calibar. It is no surprise then, that the hype and anticipation surrounding this release is steadily rising. Having secured big time support slots with bands such as The Flaming Lips, they seem set on forging a slightly off-beat path towards the charts. This is no guilty pleasure album that indie kids will deny liking, this is an album waiting to be embraced by the mainstream and one that the band should be very proud of.
CLARA CULLEN