If you played a drinking game with The Fray\u2019s latest album and took a shot every time they sang about love or hearts, you\u2019d be on the floor by the third song. So, sure, they\u2019re not the most inventive of groups. But since their illustrious debut, 2005\u2019s How To Save A Life, <\/i>these Denver, Colorado pop rockers have been churning out hits and television soundtracks with the best of them. And for good reason: few bands do an earnest, soaring power ballad like The Fray. Snow Patrol and Keane have fallen by the wayside for the most part, and Coldplay actually gets points for trying to re-invent themselves with each disc.<\/p>\n
So while the material on Scars And Stories <\/i>definitely doesn\u2019t differ much from their previous self-titled album, and it unfortunately doesn\u2019t reach the heights of their debut, there is still some good stuff to be found here. For one, lead singer Isaac Slade has an endearingly distinctive voice, reaching for the rafters with passion. They may not be revamping music any time soon, but at least they\u2019re putting their hearts into it at every turn. The band\u2019s harmonies and instrumentation is as tight and melodious as ever, thanks in part to production by Brendan O\u2019Brien, who adds in a thicker, more rock flavor to some of the songs (near the tail end of the album, \u201cHere We Are\u201d is a standout with its churning drum beats and decisive chorus).<\/p>\n
Starting out with lead single \u201cHeartbeat,\u201d which is classic Fray with its propulsive beats and love-struck chorus, Scars And Stories <\/i>only gets better as it goes along. Inspired by a Norman Rockwell painting, \u201cThe Fighter\u201d can get a little cheesy lyrics-wise, but the chorus is lovely in its simplicity, especially when delivered in Brock\u2019s pitch-perfect falsetto. Upcoming single \u201cRun For Your Life\u201d is instantly radio friendly with its jangle of bells and sweeping energy.<\/p>\n
There are some real gems here if you take the time and don\u2019t mind a couple clich\u00e9s along the way. For one, \u201c48 To Go,\u201d which tells the story of Slade and his wife getting hopelessly off course on a road trip to California, is so charmingly delightful with its upbeat guitars, chimes, and bells; it\u2019s a nice change if all you know of The Fray is the piano-driven melancholy of \u201cHow To Save A Life.\u201d Meanwhile, \u201c1961\u201d and \u201cMunich\u201d take on some new territory for the band, the former being a description of two brothers at the Berlin Wall. Though things of course never get too political (\u201cMunich\u201d in particular is kind of a dubious title, though the song itself is beautifully crafted), it\u2019s interesting to see the \u201cstories\u201d part of the album\u2019s title come into play. <\/p>\n
So, while The Fray\u2019s latest isn\u2019t going to offer you anything too different from their previous releases, or from albums like A Rush Of Blood To The Head <\/i>or The Script, <\/i>for that matter, there is still enough heart in this collection of songs to make it worth a listen. Within their own genre, the band is reliably eloquent and endlessly polished. Whether you\u2019re hopelessly romantic or dejected in love, there\u2019s something for everyone on Scars And Stories.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":30869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[7698],"rating":[5615],"class_list":["post-42545","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-the-fray","rating-rating-b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=42545"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=42545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}