Funeral For A Friend

Funeral For A Friend: Memory And Humanity

Here we have something special, something relevant to talk about, something worth while to drench the ears with. Funeral For A Friend hit the right note, climb upon the right scale, really uplift themselves. The Welsh contingent bounch back with an angst ribbed edge, a new found glory, a newly written story, a fable that surpasses anything they have ever offered to their close-knit faithful.

Last years ‘uneventful’ catalogue ‘Tales Don’t Tell Themselves’ was a mishap that was shelved abruptly, suffocated by its own makers, because in fairness Funeral went on unsupervised roads with their first ‘concept’ album. Tales wasn’t a catastrophe; it just didn’t bolster the band’s reputation of being one of Britain’s prime rock distributors. Tales was an experience that Funeral may have welcomed, a growth period, a maturity factor they needed to experiment with. Tales takes the reins of the past; the future is what’s important.

Funerals new track list goes back to a sound that the band is renowned for, a sound incorporated with overly-tortured angst. ‘Memory And Humanity’ is a new charge to glory, a miraculous leap forward. From the bashful starting point, to the melodic halt, it refreshes the mind, hitting the right musical nerve. Memory’s commence is a fierce bite into the skin of the doubters, ‘Rules and Games’ sluggish build up, scurries into a full-on guitar riffed gem. Lyrically Matt Davies is a towering king among songwriters, his beautiful writing style fits perfectly into the instrumental madness.

‘To Die like Mouchette’ ripples through the pleasure nerves in the brain, a track that doesn’t surrender or be victimised by cliché’s. It’s an honourable song that nestles quite rightly without disregard. Funerals shift of melody to roughness is highlighted vividly in Humanity’s elevation, not a bad thing, just isn’t a normality we come to experience from the Welsh rockers. ‘Constant Illuminations’ lets the pack down, a slaughtered track that’s repetitive and unworthy for a track list that seems so polished and gem ridden. ‘Maybe I Am’ cleanses the pallet, an injection, a caffeine fix that coffee just can’t reach. A song that recharges the interest that may have been lost in previous let downs.

‘Building’ sweet introduction show’s why Funeral can step down from their rattling pace. Melodic and nostalgic, so beautiful, and packs so much character, is this really Funeral? Yeah and its not a fall from grace, just an added dash of sentimentality.‘Beneath The Burning Trees’ is lyrically sound, vocally equipped, Matt Davies’s unique singing tone breaks through without dismantling the song of all its rock appeal. A real Funeral riff, that takes alot of influence from Casually Dressed. Funeral let their debut play a leading role in Humanity’s development, pinpointing the rawness that made it a instant hit.

‘Someday The Fire Will Keep Burning’ is a lyrical masterpiece that holds the band in high flying regard, overshadowing predecessors, boasting a chorus that would uplift any subtle, uninspiring party. A bite of authority that converts the album from being great, to completely mind-blowing.

‘Waterfront Dance Club’ is the final track before the album rests into a harmonic swing. A crash of guitar madness develops, and grows until a voice bears all. Now this is funeral letting off steam, definitely a single to behold. ‘Charlie Don’t Surf’ works the heart strings, pulling them to breaking point, a deliverance of a true melodic triumph that doesn’t pulverise the previous subtlety.

Funeral for a Friend are a band on worthy ground, catapulting back into mainstream rock without rubbing against the norm or cutting the throat of their routes. As Memory and Humanity becomes a stable recurrence back to form, Funeral For A Friend can certainly rest easy, knowing they have a collection of angst reeking, but infectious rock triumphs to hold them above the rest that swarm to try and take a crown they have moulded. Thank Heavens their back.

Mark McConville
Posted on October 12th, 2008 at 01:33pm

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