Review Summary: Lusitania is an undeniable strive for an incomparable sound, and in that, there is evidence of achievement.
When news surfaced that Fairweather had made a return to Equal Vision, nostalgia and I intertwined our fingers and clutched tightly for a good few minutes. The band’s full-length entrance onto the music scene began in 2001 with a number called If
They Move... Kill Them. Which, unlike the album title, had a kicked-up emo pop-punk energy reminiscent of New Found Glory getting drunk with The Get Up Kids. The amount of summer days & nights this record spun in the cd player of my car racked up at a swift pace. This eventually came to an end when I lent the album to a friend and never got it back. That was a harsh reality of sharing music back at the start of the millenium.
My next taste of Fairweather came with the release of their EP
Alaska: an introduction moreso to 2003’s
Lusitania, which spearheaded an investment into a more mature and original path for the group as a whole. It wasn’t long before
Lusitania was released, and I, as a stubborn and naive teenager, dismissed the band entirely, simply because they dismissed their upbeat mash-up of fast chugging, hopeful melodies and relatable lyrics. While that might have been silly at the time, I’ve come to discover my choice may not have been entirely groundless.
Lusitania is an undeniable strive for an incomparable sound, and in that, there is evidence of achievement. However, albeit those successes, there are a number of missed swings that kept Fairweather’s farewell from pushing into the spotlight back in 2003.
To be frank, the album starts off intriguingly before falling flat on its face after the 10 minute mark. A handful of back-to-back songs hinder the listener from making
Lusitania an accessible, or even particularly enjoyable listen out of the gate. “Letter of Intent” and “Treachery of Images” are lackluster attempts from the band to break away from whatever niche they had been held in previously, mixing featureless song structures and largely mundane vocals. “I Dread The Time When Your Mouth Begins To Call Me Hunter” follows suit like that awkward fellow in elementary school that always hung around you and your friends, yet nobody seemed to know who he was or where he came from. It starts with a slow, lifeless guitar line before transitioning into some subdued chords and a basic beat to match. It would be a break in the album if the album had gotten anywhere in the first place, and consequently, does absolutely nothing for the senses.
Just when you’re like to give up on the whole affair, the band makes an unexpected, crucial change in momentum. Slowly but surely,
Lusitania shifts from passive to aggressive, filling the cavities with inspired leads and riotous riffs. “Silent Jury”, “Concrete Alias,” and “Burn Bridges Keep Warm” draw some attention with anxious melodies and effective transitioning. A couple of tracks experiment with muddled distorted guitars and are met with varying outcomes. Jay Littleton’s slightly elevated vocals finally harmonize and fall into place nicely. Specifically, re-released track “Alaska” shows a prime example of what the group could reach at the height of their artistry. It heralds a dissonant chord progression fused with a fairly simple yet enjoyable alternative rhythm, and includes some great aesthetic contributions from all members.
Yet it’s evident from the get-go that guitarists Ben Green & Peter Tsouras are attempting to create something starkly different from where Fairweather began, and the direction they take is just straight up all over the map. The key issue with all of this? Replay value. While the second half of
Lusitania has enough going on creatively to listen to, there is very little to keep one coming back for more, and it’s downright aggravating. The album cries out “Give me another chance!” and you’ll be all like “Yeah ok blanco niños, one more chance.”
It pains me to say though, that no matter how much you come back, you’ll leave consistently aggravated. Aggravated that, with all the originality, talent, and drive that Fairweather possesses,
Lusitania is not a spot-on portrayal of those positive traits; and as the educated listener that you are, you know it damn well could have been. When the ordeal’s been spun over again, it becomes evident that Fairweather were on the cusp of something fresh, something big. Perhaps 2014 will be their year to reach the height of their potential.
