Review Summary: The band's first full length album that showcases Brett’s vocals, Carl’s guitar work and their mesh with the rest of the band, ruined only by the fact that Brett will never sing these songs again.
Ah, the bad boys from Pennsylvania and their first full-length release. After a brief incarnation as ‘Small the Joy’ with an independent cassette (which is impossible to find, by the way!), shedding a few members and finding a new drummer, the band that we all know and love (or at least used to) was born.
All the tracks were written and composed by Carl Bell, who was already exerting his dominance over his domain. I’m guessing Brett didn’t have a problem with this at this point.
It’s interesting to note that while this was a ‘new’ release, almost all the songs featured were simply older songs on their smaller EPs, Porcelain and Hazelton. The only real new songs were [Untitled], Sunburn and New Thing, while the rest were ‘re-mastered’, although I’ve listened to the original EPs and I can say that there’s hardly any discernable difference that I could hear. So essentially this CD is the best the band could come up with over a few years time. And it shows.
Most people hold up Natural Selection as the pinnacle of what is Fuel; scathing, hard hitting, hard rocking rock. And most people acknowledge Something like Human as the carrier of a few select singles, with a bunch of filler that may be catchy, but filler all the same. But in all reality, their debut is where Carl’s songwritting and Brett’s singing really shine consistently (with the exception of Song for You, which is a pet peeve of mine). We won’t mention the recent release by Carl Bell, as it’s not really worth mentioning.
“GET THE HELL ON WITH IT!”
*cough* Yes well, on to the actual songs.
The record starts off with all guns blazing and a hard hitting guitar riff with [Untitled]. And then the vocals kick in. No, that’s not Curt that you’re hearing, that’s Brett Scallions, who seems to channel something like the insane energy that Curt was stuffed with. The guitar parts may be a bit harsh, but damn, they’re catchy, and they go from crunchy distortion overdrive to dainty and tastefully clean. The lyrics aren’t really anything to be admired at this point, but they fit well with the purpose of the song, which is to interest/scare away the faint of heart. This leads into Bittersweet, one of my personal favourites of the album. By now you’ve probably realised that these guys like distortion, but it fits well with Brett’s voice, which is crunchy, but oddly melodic. The lyrics are more insightful on the immaterial nature of the world, and their disdain thereof. This would be a great concert opener, as it gets the crowd bouncing with the beat that throbs in time with every instrument.
The next song on the list is Shimmer, your radio-friendly single. Brett’s voice really pulls through in this number and brings the song to life. The cello is also a very nice touch, and gives it character too. Jeff also gets to have a little fun with some cool bass fills. It’s your usual radio song about love and all the trimmings, but with thoughtful lyrics that paint a picture and doesn’t just throw up all the usual crap that goes with the territory. This is a great lead up to the next ditty, which is angry, anti-organised thinking (hells yes!) and entitled Jesus or a Gun. Now, just stop and think about this: it’s Jesus… with a Gun! How kickass is that? And I’m not even Catholic… or Christian for that matter. And the song is just as catchy as you would hope it would be.
Now that you’re all riled up, it’s time to mellow out and prepare for the title track. It’s got an awesome tremolo intro, is very laid back, and provides a great relief from the constant wall of guitar that you’ve (hopefully) been enjoying so far. The guitar solo is tasteful, and fits well with the relaxed, but upbeat atmosphere. Another one of my favourites.
It should be noted that while I haven’t mentioned Kevin yet, he’s doing a rather good job I feel… but I’m no drummer, so I’m in no position to critique his skill. However, he always seems to find an interesting beat to go with for a song, and doesn’t go stale with the same repetitive drum fill over, and over.
So here we are, halfway through the songs (no we’re not there yet!) and this is where albums usually start to get a bit weaker… and it’s kind-of true, but we still have a few to go. New Thing is rather uninteresting at first listen, but can grow on you, due to the catchy chorus and the even catchier bridge (Comfort Me!). This only serves to lead into It’s Come to This, which is, for some reason unknown to me, one of the better songs on here. The vocals are soft and delivered so you almost don’t notice them, but the lyrics are so scathing with melancholy from the hollow joys of success that you can’t help noticing them. The final lines are some of the best ending with “Now with legs weak and weary from this silly dance, suitcase full of memories, I pack my bags and slowly drift away”.
I’ll be brief with Song for You. It’s filler. You know it, I know it, and you can bet your electric guitar that the band knew it too. It’s still better then the entire Angels and Devils disk, but it’s the worst on here. I really wish they’d replaced it with Sunday Girl from the Porcelain EP, but that’s neither here nor there. Mary Pretends is another angry little song with anti-religion sentiments … or at least I think so… I mean, which Mary do you think they’re talking about? But it’s the same old heavy guitars laced with maniac guitar solos we all know and love. Not that I’m complaining, I love this stuff.
Ozone is a bit of a love it/hate it affair. It’s got this great half-time beat that you really don’t hear that often in alt-rock/post grunge, but it’s a pain to try and play it. The ‘Suckers!’ part really gives this song a better standing then it may warrant, but I enjoy listening to it.
Finally! The last song Hideaway! And what a closing song it is. Forget the insane, angry, intense energy of Ozone, and prepare to mellow out once more. Carl sure knows how to squeeze tones out of his guitar to fit a song perfectly on this album, and it really shines here. Brett’s voice, that was once full of anger and frustration just a moment ago, becomes wistful and longing, and delivers the song perfectly. There are a few bonus songs included in the later releases, Walk the Sky and King for a Day, but Walk the Sky is the only one really worth mentioning. Originally released on the Godzilla! Soundtrack, it’s a catchy song with a decent beat and the usual great vocals provided by Brett.
Overall, while the songs on here may not be startlingly innovative, or full of impressive technical skill, it excels in the fact that nearly every song has a valid story to tell, and Brett tells it perfectly with his ability to convey emotion in his voice. His loss in the band now is one of the main reasons I can’t stand the new album… Toryn is not Brett, and someone should tell him to stop pretending. Overall, this is Fuel at it’s best, doing what they love, and doing it damn well I might add. The only reason this isn’t a perfect album is because, let’s face it, this is all been pretty much done before, just not like this. I really wish they’d put Sunday Girl on instead of Song for You.
4.25/5 ... but I’ll round up to 4.5, because Brett kicks ass
Stand out Tracks : Bittersweet, Shimmer, It’s Come to This, Sunburn, Hideaway
Pros : The mesh of drum, bass, voice and guitar, Brett’s voice in particular
Cons : Knowing Brett will never sing these songs again
