Customer Reviews

It's Great to Be Alive

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To begin: I give this album 5 stars, but not because I would stand behind Fake Problems no matter what album flops out of their studios. I give it 5 stars because their sound appears to be changing in a way that fits them quite nicely.

I've been following the band's progress for a while now, and seeing their progression ("Spurs & Spokes/Bull>Matador," "How Far Our Bodies Go," "Viking Wizard Eyes, Wizard Full of Lies," "It's Great to Be Alive," and various singles), I can say with confidence that the band is doing this right.

The first song I heard was "The Dream Team," and I admit I was skeptical of it. After being so fortunate as to see the band at a local cafe with about 10 other people, I heard the majority of their new material and was more than impressed.

Fake Problems delivers, once again, an album with as much sincerity as energy. In combination with the varied instruments, clapping, and humming, this emotion creates a full set of songs begging to be sung along to.

Although I support the reinvention of a band's sound, many talented bands seem to be doing this in a way that alienates their former audience. Fake Problems, however continues to fine-tune (yet diversify) the direction of their music without abandoning the characteristics that attracted their fans.

I had the opportunity to catch the tail end of Fake Problem's live performance. They sounded good enough to merit a chance, so I bought this album. It is now one of my favorite albums. I enjoy their sound and lyricism so much and I'm so glad I bought this album. Absolutely worth it.

Side One Dummy is among my favorite indie labels. They signed Flogging Molly, Gogol Bordello, and Bedouin Soundclash, who are all excellent bands. They're also bands that have moved on to bigger and better things thanks to the work they did with Side One Dummy. So, of course, I took a chance with another of S.O.D.'s signed bands, Fake Problems, 'cause they can't be *that* bad, can they?

...They can. This is without a doubt one of the worst albums I've listened to in a long time. I'd rather listen to Bob Dylan try to sing for Journey before I listen to this album a second time. In fact, listening to this album gives me a much greater appreciation for Mr. Dylan's "singing" voice, because Fake Problems's vocalist is among the worst singers out there. On the plus side, the rest of the band plays well, at least when they're not trying to rip on the aforementioned Gogol Bordello's world music-inspired sound.

The majority of this album is pure garbage, but the real gem is in the middle-to-latter portion of the record. Once the band ditches their poor attempt to sound like a band of gypsies, the songwriting and instrumentalization really stand out. The stand-out tracks for me were "Diamond Rings," "Tabernacle Song," "Alligator Assassinator," and "There Are Times." Now, if only the entire album could have been crafted the same way....