Review Summary: The soundtrack to a victory lap.
When we listen to any particular music, it’s often for a reason: Bob Dylan is for chilling out, Metallica is for getting rowdy, Daft Punk is for bobbing your head, et cetera. Few bands, however, some across as celebratory and jubilant, and the five-piece instrumental rock group Fang Island not only capture the feeling, but they implement it through unusual means. Featuring a three guitar attack and echoed gang vocals, how does Fang Island’s self-titled sophomore album accomplish a sense of exhilaration?
Fang Island is unlike most other instrumental rock, in that the band tries to uplift your mood instead of trying to showcase totally killer riffs dude man dude, and a big part of that approach comes from the inclusion of gang vocals. The rich, reverb-soaked vocals (spouting out what largely seems to be gibberish) are the center-piece of most songs and perfectly carry that sense of excitement and thrill that the band is trying to accomplish with their jovial music. Overall, the perfect blend of rock riffs, harmonized guitar leads and stirring chants make
Fang Island a unique, one-of-a-kind experience that’s a treat to listen to over and over again.
Given their style, there are obviously plenty of standouts to be found on the band’s sophomore album. The opener, “Dreamer Of Dreams”, slowly swells into the album’s first uplifting sing-along chant before breaking into the rocking riffs of “Careful Crossers”, and both songs are the excellent one-two punch to start the album. The album’s lead single, “Daisy”, is a perfect embodiment of the album and a blend of the previous two tracks, as the chants, handclaps, guitar leads, fast riffs and progression really hit home the feelings of adventure, cheer and celebration. The album’s standout, however, clearly belongs to “Sideswiper”, as the song’s three-part structure, starting with speedy rock, morphing into uplifting chants and ending with the-sun-is-rising-on-a-glorious-new-day guitar leads, is a majestic little trio of fun listening.
But although the band has a terrific style going for them, I don’t feel that they execute their full potential for every song. Tracks like “Life Coach” and “Treeton” feature bumpy, off-center riffs and favour “normal” singing over gang vocals, which sounds odd for this band. Shorter, riff-based songs like “Illinois” and “Welcome Wagon” are good tracks, but they seem to be lacking some effort and they come off as less imaginative. Lastly, “Davey Crockett” is a fun song that successfully executes a post-rockish slow build into a crashing chorus, but I feel that the song is too basic to come back to over and over again. While I wouldn’t really call of these songs “bad”, I can’t really help but feel that they're a little under-developed and lacking a certain oomph, which makes these songs pale in comparison to the album’s stronger tracks.
But truly, a band like Fang Island is something to get excited about
: rarely does a band come around and successfully accomplish a sense of majesty and fun, and Fang Island really succeeds in making your heart flutter. When listening to their self-titled album, I can’t help but picture the sun setting at a summer carnival, a daredevil jumping out of an airplane or a triumphant runner on their victory lap. Hopefully the band can iron out their inconsistencies in the future, but for now, Fang Island still succeeds in creating a jubilant, thrilling experience that is guaranteed to make you want to run out of the house with your arms lifted triumphantly in the air.
