Ok, it’s back to reviewing artists 99% of you have never even heard of. This issue’s review is on a band called The Fray, who hail from Denver, Colorado. They got their record contract in a unique way; after forming in 2002, they gained the support of a local radio station, then the listeners campaigned to get The Fray a record contract. They released their debut album, How to Save a Life, in September 2005.
If you’ve ever listened to Keane, they are very similar to The Fray in that their music is very piano-driven. They are comparable to Coldplay, but not quite as mellow. Their music is great for any high school student, because many of their songs have messages of loss and confusion.
The first half of the album is definitely the better half; I guess they look to put their best foot forward, so to speak. “She Is” starts their album off with a more upbeat song. There is some guitar in the song, but like almost all songs on this album, it is dominated by piano. This song might be the best on the album; it has great lyrics, like “this is going to break me clean in two/this is going to bring me close to you/she is everything I needed that I never knew I wanted”, and so on. “Over My Head (Cable Car)” was the first single off the album, and is similar to “She Is” in rhythm, and song meaning.
The album’s title track, “How to Save a Life”, has a more subdued beat, but is a great song nonetheless. Isaac Slade’s singing is emotional, but not over the top. “All at Once” is pretty balanced in terms of instrumentation, and the song has a good message to young kids: “sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.” This song is alright, but hardly my favorite. “Fall Away” is mellow, which makes it a nice song to relax too. “Heaven Forbid” sounds almost exactly Keane, so that should tell you whether or not you will like this song. “Look After You” is kind of boring in terms of the music, but there is a violin, which goes great with the emotional vocals of Slade.
“Hundred” sounds much like a classical work of music for the first minute, when there is only piano. The song is very relaxing, but not one of the better songs on the CD. “Vienna” sounds like “Hundred” because both are slow and melodic, but again, not one of the better songs on the CD. Like I said earlier, the first half of this album is much better than the second half. “Dead Wrong” might be the only considerably good song on the second half of this album, but even this song doesn’t stack up to the songs on the first half. “Little House” has a unique sound, and alternates from soft, gentle singing and a piano to more intense singing and an electric guitar in the background. This alternation occurs several times throughout the song. “Trust Me” is mediocre; there isn’t anything special about the song.
Overall, I’d recommend checking The Fray out. If you like Coldplay, Keane, and Ben Folds, odds are you will enjoy at least some, if not all, of the songs, on their twelve-track debut, How to Save a Life.
