Review Summary: A mindlessly fun and catchy CD. What did you expect from a CD called "Dance or Die"?
Family Force 5 is a rock band from Atlanta Georgia that is made up of:
Solomon Olds - Lead Vocals/Guitar
Jacob Olds - Vocals/Drums
Joshua Olds - Vocals/Bass
Nathan Currin - Vocals/Keyboards/Turntables
Derek Mount - Lead Guitar
There are some CDs that when you hear them you just know it would be better live. I got that experience from In Flames' "Come Clarity" and from Coldplay's "Viva La Vida", and now from Family Force 5's newest release, "Dance or Die". Having seen Family Force 5 (Which will from now on be referred to as "FF5") live by accident, I can say that, yes, their live show is the band's strength. Maybe it was the band's incredible energy, or maybe it was the fact that they seemed to know how ridiculous every song they where playing was, I can't be sure, but FF5's great show resulted in me picking up "Dance or Die".
Unfortunately, from the first track, you soon find out that the band needs to spend more time on their music, and less time on their show. The CD's opener "Dance or Die" starts with with a catchy riff with some keyboard in the back ground. The verse slows down, but goes into an infectiously catchy chorus.
It's a bit hard to tell if Solomon's rambling about dancing being his weapon is supposed to be funny, or if he's actually serious, which brings us to the primary issue with this CD. With FF5's last release "Business up Front, Party in the Back", there was never a question if the band wanted to be taken seriously or if they were making fun of themselves and dance music in general.
Don't expect anything deep or powerful lyrically here, FF5 only wants to build catchy dance music, and doesn't seem to care what the cost might be. The CD's lyrics go from passable, to laughably terrible, like in the song "Party Foul"
"Don't try to mess with my girlfriend
I'm here to call you out
You try to hit on my girl
That's what I call a party foul"
Ouch.
For the most part, the CD is fairly fast paced music, with the occasional song slowing things down, most notably "Share It With Me". It starts with a fun sounding piano and drum intro, that leads into some fairly good vocals. This isn't a bad song, but it feels a bit out of place with the generally quick pace of the songs before and after it.
There's really nothing more to say about this CD, except that every song is catchy in at least some way. If catchy music is a plus for you, then I could recommend this CD. If you're looking for something deep and meaningful, you'll be disappointed, but c'mon, it's dance music, what did you really expect?
Recommended Tracks:
Dance or Die
Share It With Me
