The Fray are one of those bands who have been toiling away in the background, largely unnoticed by everyone outside their Denver homeland, for a handful of years, only to be finally “discovered” and brought to everyone’s attention thanks to a chance slot on some TV series, in this case Grey’s Anatomy.
Oddly enough it was not the title track that got The Fray their initial opportunity, but its lesser-known first single, Over My Head (Cable Car). Punctuated with Isaac Slade’s recognisable (though not unmistakable) vocal style and the band’s formulaic guitar pop, the song is something of a grower, but The Fray’s real breakthrough came with title track How To Save A Life.
Intensely infectious, the hit song is already running the same course as James Blunt’s You’re Beautiful and Maroon 5’s She Will be Loved, meaning you should be quite sick of hearing the song on every station by now!
Despite comparisons to British counterparts Keane and Coldplay, The Fray owe more to the likes of Counting Crows or Third Eye Blind.
Their sound emanates that all-too-familiar “American” country inflection that has graced generations of American rock bands since the day Gram Parsons blurred the boundaries between the two genres.
In contrast to Parson’s musical endeavours however, The Fray’s take is increasingly polished and perhaps too devoid of any rough edges and the vitality such “flaws” can bring to the music.
There is no denying this band knows how to churn out a good melody, but a little more diversity would instil a longevity and authenticity to their music!
CD COURTESY OF www.lib66.tk
Sidecar kisses: live at Poxx Bar this weekend
With just a handful of singles under their belt, the four members of UK band Sidecar Kisses have been attracting a fair amount of media attention and plaudits. This highly-rated, up-and-coming quartet has been described as “delightfully timeless” by leading webzine The Organ, and “loud, sharp and sexy” by none other than the mother of all music magazines that matter – the NME!
So what is the buzz about this half-Welsh, half-English foursome? What do the currently-unsigned Sidecar Kisses have that other bands do not, or maybe still have to find? Well, for sure they are not tuned onto the same frequency as most of the fresh-faced bands currently dominating the British alternative scene. The Sidecar Kisses have more in common with the indie sound from way across the big pond (and back a few years!); drawing inspiration from the time when Pixies were riding their Wave of Mutilation, the Breeders were firing Cannonballs, Sonic Youth were Daydreaming and Mercury Rev were letting
off Steam! Log on
to www.myspace.com/
sidecarkisses for a taste of the band’s music!
Sidecar Kisses will be performing live at Poxx bar on Saturday. Local indie boys Retrophytes will be supporting, revving up the crowd with their blistering brand of grand alt-rock while DJ Zickler will be spinning some of the best indie tunes before and after the gig! This event is sponsored by Cisk Export,Brand Malta and Radio 101. Tickets at Lm3.50 are available from Anthony D’Amato (Valletta), Exit (Valletta and Paola), Miss Sixty (Sliema) and PrintXPress (University). For more information, call mob.: 9945-9555 or send an email to: [email protected].