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Fightstar - be human
Fightstar have an ability to turn out albums very, very quickly. It seems like ‘Alternative Endings’ was released only months ago, and here we are with their latest offering, in the form of ‘be human’. Album number three for Charlie Simpson & Co’ is a melancholic, orchestral affair scattered with heavy guitars. In general, this is a much softer approach to their music, but there are a couple of tracks that still have the guts of previous Fightstar material. ‘Calling On All Stations’ is probably chart-worthy, and is definitely worth a listen, as is recent single ‘The English Way’. ‘War Machine’ is a ballad that’s driven by strings and accompanied by guitars, and this does kind of work, but is left begging for a louder guitar mix, and over-cooked with choir and orchestra. ‘Never Change’ is bland, but in complete contrast, ‘Colours Bleed To Red’ is one of the best songs I’ve heard this year. Massive bouncing guitar riffs, really juicy hooks and gorgeous guitar tones make this irresistible. The break down at 2:30, through to the end of the track is pummeling. This is definitely the highlight of the album. The verses in ‘The Whisperer’ sound a little bit like something off of Silverchair’s 'Diorama', and the timing changes work really well. ‘Mercury Summer’ is a pleasant pop track, but struggles to ever really get going. ‘Give Me The Sky’ has a chorus that I can’t really explain in words, you’ll have to listen to it yourself – it’s well worth it. ‘Chemical Blood’ is a combination of uneventful verses and very heavy choruses, all wrapped up in orchestral bridges. This again sounds a lot like Silverchair, this time circa ‘Neon Ballroom’, but still has Fightstar stamped all over it. ‘Tonight We Burn’ is as “emo” as Hawthorne Heights and stands as the worst track on the record, whereas ‘Damocles’ is another very heavy effort that almost wouldn’t sound out of place on a Machinehead album. Closer, ‘Follow Me Into The Darkness’ is a melancholic song, seemingly about a girl. It’s a progressive journey littered with piano, warm guitars and dramatic strings arrangements. A very emotional track, and a great album closer. I suppose this is a band showing capability and maturity. There’s a lot here to consume, and a lot of this is strikingly good, but I can’t help but wonder why it’s spat out in such a jumbled fashion. There are tracks with massive metal riffs, and others that are in complete contrast. Some songs are completely filled with orchestra and others have nothing. As good as a lot of the songs are on ‘be human’, I can’t help but feel that Fightstar have missed put an an opportunity here. This could have, and should have been their finest moment; A concept record that themed from start to finish would have made this album unbeatable by Fightstar. We’re left with some impressive songs, but not the classic this could have been. A real shame. (8/10) Reviewed by Phil Storey  Digg
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Thursday 30th April 2009 |
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