Funeral for A Friend: Tales Don’t Tell Themselves (2007)-Davey Boy
Funeral for A Friend: Tales Don’t Tell Themselves (2007)
By Davey Boy
For those still succumbing to New Years Eve hangovers, I can assure you all that it is now 2008. Flip over your calendars folks! For those of us that are musically inclined, the first month of a new year is often a time to take a look back at the previous year & recall what stood out to us, whether it be positive or negative. I definitely do not profess to having listened to every album released in 2007 & my opinion as to what was the best album of the year may well change in the upcoming months. But as of this writing, my choice is most likely to be one that will not be seen elsewhere. It is Tales Don’t Tell Themselves, the 3rd album by Welsh band Funeral For A Friend.
For a musical group that has only existed for 6 years, Funeral For A Friend (FFAF) sure have reinvented themselves throughout their lifetime. While their early EPs & debut album literally screamed post-hardcore, the band has cut down on their rougher edges with each passing album, resulting in a more melodic alternative-rock feel. While the group has had a little mainstream success, especially in the United Kingdom, they have not been super successful. The main reason for this is that for the most part they do not rely on strong & catchy choruses, instead choosing to concentrate more on their music. With this album however, FFAF appear to have purposefully aimed for more of a balance between the 2 aspects. To a lot of their
longtime (and even some casual) fans, this meant that the terribly faddy & overused term of “selling out” was brought up. However, this is the here & now. At the end of the day, good music is good music… Simple as that!
I have never been a great fan of an album beginning with its best track. That occurs here, but there may be some method to the choice of ‘Into Oblivion (Reunion)’ as the opener. It’s a clear statement that is quite simply the best single of the band’s entire catalogue. Furthermore, it sums up the album very well; Accessible & melodic rock with a lush sound that makes good use of guitars. It’s also catchy & memorable which is something the band have lacked in the past. Another reason for this song’s placement as the first track could arguably be from a lyrical standpoint. You see, this album is one of the growing number of concept albums flooding the market these days. It has a nautical theme & tells the story of a fisherman shipwrecked out at
sea after being ravaged by a storm. It is a gimmick that admittedly has its pros & cons. The main pros being band focus & potential listener involvement, while the main con is repetition (especially lyrically).
Another reason for the placement of the best track & 1st single as the album’s opener is for structure purposes. This is because it is arguable that the other standouts from this LP are its accompanying bookend at the end of the “tale”, as well as the 2 track mid-album break of sorts. Following 3 radio-friendly pop-rock sing-alongs that all stand well enough on their own occupying the spots of tracks 2 to 4, we get what is the first part of the ‘All Hands On Deck’ duo. This is
sub-titled ‘Raise The Sail’ and is a terrific up-tempo rocker that is turned on its head with a super effective string arrangement. The 2nd half (track 6) sub-titled ‘Open Water’ is a little less effective in isolation, but flows well from the previous track, while also foreshadowing the rockier vibe that is to come with the next couple of songs. In fact, the following track, ‘Out Of Reach’ is easily the
closest thing to the band’s hardcore past, but the fact that it remains accessible is a credit to the band.
When the poppy & catchy 2nd single ‘Walk Away’ floats on by as the penultimate track of the album, it is easy to think that Funeral For A Friend may be out of tricks, as it is the most straight-forward song on the album. However, that cannot be further from the truth due to the amazing six & a half minute closer ‘The Sweetest Wave’. Beginning methodically with piano, emotional vocals & atmospheric bass, it uses an orchestral arrangement to build up to a gorgeous & grandiose crescendo that isn’t afraid to rock things up with guitar to match the strings. Theatrical & ambitious, this track really is a terrific summation of the album as a whole & is a statement
that Funeral For A Friend have no boundaries & can achieve anything they set their mind to musically!
If I was to state the main reason for my like of this album, it would simply be that there is no filler. While some tracks obviously stand above others, it would not surprise to see any of the 10 songs released as a single. For that reason, and also due to the perception of some repetition, the band was wise in keeping the LP at 10 tracks (totaling 41 minutes). While the intricate layers of the dual guitar attack from earlier recordings is not as prevalent here, the under-rated guitar playing of Kris Coombs-Roberts is still what drives most songs. The use of orchestral arrangements on some tracks more than make up for any steps back in the sound department, while lead vocalist Matt Davies has adapted well to the more melodic tunes & can hopefully improve even further on future efforts. Very much recommended, Funeral For A Friends’ “Tales Don’t Tell Themselves” is an album full of quality songs that should appeal to a rather large audience. It’s just a matter of that audience knowing the band exists in the first place.
Copyright C 2007 Davey Boy
December 31st, 2007 at 9:14 am
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