Faunts
Feel. Love. Thinking. Of. (Friendly Fire)
By Emily Becker
Published: March 13th, 2009 | 9:00am
Originally from Edmonton, Faunts’ music springs forth from the chilly Alberta prairies. Brr. The group’s latest offering, Feel. Love. Thinking. Of., is an overly complicated record with an equally complicated title. Helmed by three brothers — Steve, Tim, and Rob Batke — the five-piece stitches together the moodiness of Radiohead and the light electronica of the Postal Service with equal parts early ‘90s shoegaze and math rock. In the right circumstances this description could yield musical satori, but Faunts fail to transcend their influences.
Faunts spent two years working on Feel. Love. Thinking. Of. Two years may have been too long, because much of the record is overworked (“Feel.Love.Thinking.Of.,” “Lights Are Always On”). Unintentionally comic in its title, “I Think I’ll Start a Fire” is better equipped to start a nap, whereas “Out On a Limb” grooves along modestly, meshing Steve’s best attempt at Ben Gibbard vocals with a propulsive rhythm guitar line.
Notably, the record’s best moments are also the most sonically optimistic. “It Hurts Me All the Time” bounces along with its bass line wavering like a staggering drunk, using the upbeat music to counteract the dreary lyrics, “You could never love me / The sky is black above me.” The album’s last track, “Explain,” is also its best. Clocking in at more than six minutes, it creates levity with a vocal line that weaves in and out of the guitar melody instead of following it turn-for-turn. Considering Feel. Love.’s undaunted nostalgia for the ‘80s, I wonder if Batke is looking in a mirror when he sings, “I think the past has come back to haunt you”?
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Faunts’ official site
Faunts’ MySpace page
Issue #25
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