Review: Fang Island - S/T
July 8th, 2010
Fang Island S/T [Sargent House]
Need to know: Named after a Donald Rumsfeld-based joke by The Onion, Rhode Island’s Fang Island began as an art school project about rock operas between members. They describe their music as “everyone high-fiving everyone” and say it’s made “for people who like music.” Having released a couple of overlooked EPs in 2007 and 2008, their single “Daisy” was featured in some ads for MTV’s The Buried Life. Their self-titled debut album features samples of the band lighting off firecrackers, which makes complete sense once you hear them.
In a few words: Fang Island love crescendos. This album almost relies on them, but when you’re making music with the intention of inducing high-fives, you need to give the listener a reason to actually go up high. Like Andrew W.K.’s I Get Wet, Fang Island has that never-ending feeling of elation. Credit the three-man “guitarmy” of Jason Bartell, Chris Georges and Nick Sadler, whose Brian May-inspired recipe of harmonic riffage unleashes a mighty wave of euphoria. But Fang Island aren’t just about wailing on their fret boards à la instrumetalists Fucking Champs. “Daisy” definitely chugs away, but the climax has a release as cathartic as the Arcade Fire’s entire catalogue. “Life Coach” has the bumping rhythm of your standard Animal Collective song, though loading up on a blast of riff-roaring guitars instead of synths’n’samplers. And “Davy Crockett” floats with an intergalactic transcendence like Spiritualized’s Pure Phase, slowly building up to a loud peal of uplifting chants.
Best track: “Sideswiper”
R.I.Y.L. Andrew W.K., Fucking Champs, Lightning Bolt, Queen
Rating: 7.5/10
Buy, download, steal or don’t bother: Buy.
Sample: “Life Coach”
Website: FangIsland.com
Fang Island open up for The Flaming Lips, Spoon and Tokyo Police Club at the Molson Amphitheatre tonight in Toronto.
Tags: Fang Island
Posted on Thursday, July 8th, 2010 at 11:28 am by Cam and is filed under Reviews, The New Music.
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