Fair to Midland
Arrows and Anchors
Rating
Style: Progressive Alternative Potpourri Rock
Release date: 11 July, 2011
Playing time: 54:34
 

Morbid Angel, Atheist, The Dillinger Escape Plan, just a few bands on this label. A real metal label and if you don't know which style Fair to Midland play, you could perhaps think they are a real heavy metal band. They are not; Season of Mist has signed a band which is a strange duck for this label. But this shows that the label has a nose for talent and exceptional bands.

For a reviewer such a band is one of the nicer ones, but also one of the most difficult ones to review. What can I tell you about the style of music? That's a very difficult one; the easiest way is just to say to all of you that you must listen to them because it is almost impossible to tell in words what their music is about. Nevertheless I will give it a try. It is progressive, it is melodic, it has very soft clean parts and sometimes it is very heavy. There is a lot of variation and a lot of styles pass by. The band has the variety of Rush, the weirdness of Waltari, the occasional poppy clean melancholy parts of Faith No More and the explosive aggressive and also melodic singing parts of System of a Down. Sometimes even the Beatles can be found in the songs. There are a lot of softer parts but in the end the album is heavy, but not in a real metal way. Still no idea what to expect? I understand that, so there is still only one way to know more about this album/band; find them on MySpace and listen.

Just one example, "Rikki Tikki Tavi" is a track that holds the mid between The Beatles "Yellow Submarine" and a System of a Down track. There is no doubt about the song writing capacity of the band. They know how to use many styles embedded in good songs and there are not a lot of bands that are able to do that.

If you think of yourself that you are a progressive open-minded music lover, you can not let this album pass by. An album that you must own. Vocalist Sudderth described the band as a death metal band eagerly trying to play "Yellow Submarine" of the Beatles. He makes the music, so he knows best and I agree.


Tracklist

01. Heavens to Murgatroyd
02. Whiskey and Ritalin
03. Musical Chairs
04. Uh-Oh
05. Amarillo Sleeps on my Pillow
06. A Loophole in Limbo
07. Typhoid Mary Sends her Best
08. Short Haired Tornado
09. The Upset at Bailey Bridge
10. Rikki Tikki Tavi
11. Golden Parachutes                                       12. Bright Bulbs and Sharp Tools 
13. Coppertank Island
14. Three Foolproof Ways to Buy the Farm
15. The Greener Grass

Label: Seasons of Mist
Distribution: Target (Denmark)
Reviewed by: Reinier de Vries
Date: 6 July, 2011
Website: www.myspace.com/fairtomidland