Denver quartet The Fray is often called the American Coldplay because of its piano-driven rock. It tries to separate itself from that reference on its latest album, "Scars & Stories," to mixed results.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In music, there will always be at least one band that makes you think, "Hey, someone finally understands me." For me, that band is The Fray.
"The Wind" is nothing special, utilizing the theme of abandonment that the band best used in its single "You Found Me," from its second album.
On the other hand, "1961" is an absolutely genius track. It uses the Berlin Wall as a metaphor for the emotional walls we put up to cut ourselves off from people, to cut ourselves off from being hurt, and how it just takes a single person to come into our lives and make us realize how damaging our walls are.
"I Can Barely Say" is a bit more vague with its theme, but from what I interpreted, it's an encouraging song about getting back together with someone you love after the relationship has ended. It's genuinely beautiful and is a perfect blend of old and new Fray.
"Munich" is very much about an existential crisis. Why are we here, and more importantly, why do we want to know so badly?
The next song, "48 To Go," is upbeat -- a word I never in my life thought I'd use to describe a song by The Fray. It's a love ballad about enjoying a relationship and being excited about your future as a couple.
"Rainy Zurich" gives guitarist Joe King a chance to shine, and while Slade's voice is definitely better suited for the band as a whole, King provides an excellent vocal performance here. Like "The Fighter," it's usual territory for The Fray, but King's vocals manage to make it more unique.
The final song, "Be Still," is the "I'll Stand By You" for this generation. It's an amazing song about love -- platonic, paternal and romantic. It includes the verse, "If you forget the way to go/And lose where you came from/If no one is standing beside you/Be still and know I am."
"Scars & Stories" is a difficult album to review because it's very much an experiment. The reception it receives likely will influence which direction the band takes with its next album. Overall, while The Fray still deals with repetitive themes, it also has songs that feature either atypical subjects for the band or have a new sound to help distinguish it from being the American Coldplay.
If "How To Save A Life" or "The Fray" didn't interest you, I still recommend giving "Scars & Stories" a listen. If the band continues with this new direction, the next album should (hopefully) be its best.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In music, there will always be at least one band that makes you think, "Hey, someone finally understands me." For me, that band is The Fray.
Like a lot of people, I didn't know about The Fray until "Grey's Anatomy" used the band's smash hit "How To Save a Life" in an episode and subsequent commercials. Something about the lyrics and emphasis on the piano struck a chord within me (pardon the pun). I've been a huge fan ever since.
The band's self-titled sophomore effort is one of my all-time favorite albums. Because of that, I was eagerly anticipating it's latest, "Scars & Stories," which was released Feb. 7.
The album kicks off with a bang. The first track and lead single, "Heartbeat," pounds you with deep percussion. It's a nice love song that makes for a good opening to the album, and it establishes right off the bat that The Fray is looking for a new sound.
Often considered the lovechild of Coldplay and Keane, (a description bolstered by the band's extremely Coldplay-esque sophomore album), The Fray wants to remain true to its roots while giving listeners a taste of what it can really do. With two hugely successful albums completed, The Fray now has legs to stand on.
It's a shame, then, that The Fray goes back to its angst-filled lyrics on the second track, "The Fighter." The music is something new for the band, but the lyrics aren't. "Maybe we were meant to be lonely/Maybe we were meant to be on our own/Loneliness has always been with me/But maybe we don't have to be all alone," sings front man Isaac Slade.
The song is good. Don't get me wrong. It's just nothing we haven't heard from The Fray before. It's the same "boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl are separated, boy and girl are reunited and live happily ever after" theme the band has had going for the last seven years. This song shows the band is still in the gray area between pessimism and optimism, and it really needs a change of pace.
However, The Fray breaks its pattern yet again with the following track, "Turn Me On." It's a fantastic and exciting song about passionate sexual attraction that rivals Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire." In it, Slade sings, "And I don't know what it is, what it is, what it is about you/What it is, what it is, but oh/The way you're movin,' you turn me on/I won't touch you 'til we're burning/Oh you turn me on."
"Run For Your Life" seems again to dip into Coldplay territory with themes similar to Coldplay's "Fix You." Unlike "The Fighter," though, the only similarities are thematic. The music and lyrics aren't typical for The Fray, and that's meant in the most positive way. This song once again shows that the band wants to have its own persona.
"The Wind" is nothing special, utilizing the theme of abandonment that the band best used in its single "You Found Me," from its second album.
On the other hand, "1961" is an absolutely genius track. It uses the Berlin Wall as a metaphor for the emotional walls we put up to cut ourselves off from people, to cut ourselves off from being hurt, and how it just takes a single person to come into our lives and make us realize how damaging our walls are.
"I Can Barely Say" is a bit more vague with its theme, but from what I interpreted, it's an encouraging song about getting back together with someone you love after the relationship has ended. It's genuinely beautiful and is a perfect blend of old and new Fray.
"Munich" is very much about an existential crisis. Why are we here, and more importantly, why do we want to know so badly?
The next song, "48 To Go," is upbeat -- a word I never in my life thought I'd use to describe a song by The Fray. It's a love ballad about enjoying a relationship and being excited about your future as a couple.
"Rainy Zurich" gives guitarist Joe King a chance to shine, and while Slade's voice is definitely better suited for the band as a whole, King provides an excellent vocal performance here. Like "The Fighter," it's usual territory for The Fray, but King's vocals manage to make it more unique.
The final song, "Be Still," is the "I'll Stand By You" for this generation. It's an amazing song about love -- platonic, paternal and romantic. It includes the verse, "If you forget the way to go/And lose where you came from/If no one is standing beside you/Be still and know I am."
"Scars & Stories" is a difficult album to review because it's very much an experiment. The reception it receives likely will influence which direction the band takes with its next album. Overall, while The Fray still deals with repetitive themes, it also has songs that feature either atypical subjects for the band or have a new sound to help distinguish it from being the American Coldplay.
If "How To Save A Life" or "The Fray" didn't interest you, I still recommend giving "Scars & Stories" a listen. If the band continues with this new direction, the next album should (hopefully) be its best.
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