Facing New York (Dig)

Facing New York | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 30, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Five One Inc
• ASIN: B000AGTQFO
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #413,509 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. We Are

2. Javelina

3. Cutting My Hair

4. Full Turn

5. Apple Sugar Cider

6. Flagstaff

7. Tip of the Iceberg

8. Styrofoam Walls

9. Fly on the Wall

10. Butterfly Clock

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This band needs to be heard., May 21, 2006

By 

Joseph Clerici - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Facing New York (Dig) (Audio CD)

Though this album came out late last August, I was unable to write a review until now. The fact is I've been too busy. Listening to it.

On their debut album, Facing New York create an interesting fusion of progressive and indie rock. Their sound is driven in equal parts by intricate yet hard hitting drums, jazz/prog/fusion-inspired keyboards, and driving guitars and bass.

The band formed in 2004 after the breakup of Pinole, California band Locale AM. Vocalist/guitarist Eric Frederic and keyboardist Rene Carranza then joined drummer Omar Cuellar, bassist Brandon Canchola, and guitarist Matt Fazzi. Facing New York sounds to some extent like the logical continuation of Locale's Characters EP, which was that band at their most unconventional and progressive. While sometimes retaining certain elements of Locale's style, namely the prominence of the keyboards and the occasional Beatles-esque vocal melodies, the first few tracks immediately let us know that Facing New York is an entirely different band. Gone are the lighthearted lyrics about girls named Kelly and Mary and tounge-in-cheek sing-along jingles denying being from the ghetto. The immediate saccharine tunefulness is a thing of the past. And there is absolutely no rapping. None.

Thirty seconds into "We Are," the first track, Frederic sings, over a radiohead-esque off-kilter keyboard and reverb-saturated drums, "call me the wasted time, the aging adolescence/call me a bad sign of everything that's to come." As twin guitar lines weave their way dissonantly into the mix, the triangle of 311, the Beatles, and Simple Plan that was Locale AM seems a million years away. In its place is a darker, introspective work loosely themed around the realization of twenty-something burnout, and the disillusion with modern life. If Locale was the sound of a raging high school house party, Facing New York is waking up and realizing you've been going to the same party for ten years, and you're late to your dead end job. Oh God, please, not another self-loathing emo record..

But it's not. Facing New York pull themselves gracefully out of such traps with impeccable musicianship, interesting arrangements, and lyrics just abstract enough to avoid the clichs of much modern rock.

Upon first listen the music is almost too dense, and the listener may find himself or herself desperately searching for a hook to latch on to. The barrage of constantly shifting arrangements and thick layered instrumentation can be a little overwhelming at first, after a few listens the obtuse yet expertly crafted melodies and asymmetrical rhythms work their way in and stay put.

The album ends on a very strong note, first racing towards its climax with the up-tempo jazz-punk riffing and blistering keyboard runs of Styrofoam Walls and then crashing in a minor-key meltdown into the more somber yet still driving Fly on the Wall with it's long Mars Volta-inspired ending jam. The record comes to its dramatic conclusion in Butterfly Clock by revisiting the almost symphonic buildup from We Are before grinding to a stop.

Facing New York have proven to be one of the most refreshing new bands to come out of the San Francisco scene in the last couple of years, and their full-length debut is easily at the top of my list for 2005. Listeners new to the band may do better to first check out their EP Swimming Not Treading or their split EP with the band Amity, as the songs on those are on the average more easily accessible than most of the full-length album's material. However their work has reached a new level of maturity and musical sophistication on this latest effort. Not a band or a record to be missed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First full length release is a "must have"., December 16, 2005

By 

J. myers (east bay oakland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Facing New York (Dig) (Audio CD)

I saw Facing New York for the first time in Berkeley some time back as they were to perform their up and coming self-titled release from front to back. A good idea and a good chance to see how these youngsters handle a show. A friend of mine (who has never been wrong when it comes to finding bands before everyone else does) had turned me on to them just days before. The place was packed and I couldn't see. "We Are", the opening track, had me second guessing my friend as it's a fairly slow number but as soon as they broke into track two "Javelina" I had to muscle my way up front to see what the hell was going on. Every single one of them had their parts and instruments down solid. I swear the drummer and bass player have ESP or at least practice eight days a week. These guys knew what they were doing. I can't say enough about their energy levels either except that I'm sure they all shed a few pounds by the end of the show. Oh yeah, I had no idea that a Fender Rhodes piano could rock so damn hard. Shared vocals and dueling leads from both piano and guitar make their sound one of a kind.
FNY's full length is a must have for it's dynamic set list as it opens extremely suspenseful with "We Are" then blasts into their math-punk-prog stylings taking breaks only on tracks five and seven to relax a bit. Starting off the last two tracks (which run together) is a guitar riff that defines the remaining eleven minutes which can be described as tight, jammy, and intense (with some dreamy psychedelic moments thrown in for good measure). Have I mentioned the rhythm section yet? If you are in a Mars Volta mood but don't want to fall asleep and have haunting nightmares, put this album on and you'll end up wanting to start a band of your own.
If you like this release, you're going to love their first EP and their split with "Amity" as they're equally impressive.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Fan, October 4, 2005

By 

Kyte (Cary/NC/USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Facing New York (Dig) (Audio CD)

I first heard this bands name on a music news/review site I frequent and they compared them to the likes of Cave In so that was enough to catch my interest. Listening to Facing New York I can hear some similar sonic elements to Cave In musically, but the vocals and lyrics themselves totally set them apart.
That being said I picked up their first LP with very little in the way of expectations having only heard two or three songs from it on-line. I've been blown away ever since! Opening with a low-key song gives you time to drink in the music before "Javelina" comes in quickly and doesn't let up. Following this is perhaps my favorite song on the record "Cutting My Hair," which is simply beautiful. I enjoy the break of pace with the dreamy "Apple Sugar Cider." It's a nice song to just laze about with, reminds me of chilly days in the fall. After that the band picks things up again with their prog/punk stylings. I must say that I'm excited to hear more from these guys and will surely be checking out their previous releases.