Moustache

Farrah | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 11, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ark 21
• ASIN: B000068FTB
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,595 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The second track on Farrah's debut album is a frisky little number called "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend." The song is an infectious Ramones-by-way-of-'60s-girl-group shout-out, and you feel that you may finally have a band unafraid to be catchy. But "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" is a cover of a song by the Rubinoos, one of the groups signed to the Beserkley label that defined American power pop in the late '70s, and the rest of Moustache never quite reaches this giddy height again. England's Farrah plays straightforward, clean-cut music that's a bit like a boy version of the Donnas--if that band had grown up listening to Cheap Trick instead of Mötley Crüe. There are plenty of tantalizing pop moments ("Living for the Weekend" starts off a bit like a La's outtake), but too often the group's energy is undermined by dull lyrics. Still, a track like "Lois Lane," a power ballad on which Farrah boldly steps into Matchbox Twenty territory, shows that the group may have a future on American radio. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Product Description

UK debut for power pop act. For fans of Supergrass, Teenage Fanclub, The Wannadies & Elliot Smith. 2001. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Y'all, it really is worth pond hopping sometimes, September 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Moustache (Audio CD)

I hear it's not easy trying to sell the U.K. sound in the States. Believe me, I know. I live here in America and honestly couldn't tell you why. However, when a band like Farrah comes along, I hear it and think `This band can't miss'. Then all I can ever really do is cross my fingers and hope. Truly, I love to hear a band burst forth with so many obvious influences: Beatles, Cars, Beach Boys, Oasis; plus their self-proclaimed acknowledgements Supergrass, The Vapors, The Rubinoos, and Fountains Of Wayne. Not to mention what I hear as an even longer list.

Nevertheless, these chaps are certainly bright and trendy. I get the impression that this band is, only now, just beginning to spread their wings; and if their flight is any more awe-inspiring than their takeoff, you should just be still and look up: watch and listen. I can promise you'll enjoy a spectacular fanfare and display; and if you'll only give Moustache a chance. I know it'll grow on you. I think what has amazed me most about these guys, is their ability to punch out solid and hard hitting riffs song after song. From the love-challenged lyrics, the steamroller percussion, some white noise heavy grind, to the centrifugal guitar solos, you can tell that Farrah appreciates the full range of musical pop-rock styles, multi-part harmonies, and some non-classic retards. (No and don't be a retard. I mean: rhythmic effects of tempo.) There are the moody, love-challenged songs that have me hooked; like `Tired of Apologising' with those U.K. horns sounding out from our isle-cousins, `Lois Lane', and `Don't Let Them Get You Down'. Not to mention the tunes that aggressively levitated me straight up out of my seat. `Seventies Superstar' rocks with a slammin' new-century-retro appeal. (I definitely want to hear this one at the concert.) The Beatles-vision, too short `Only Happy When She's Sad' or Lennonisque `Good Night God Bless'. Which, by the way is a fabulous ado to end a well-strewn Peppers theme. You'll be blessed with a matrix of awesome drum licks, acoustics, glamour rock, dangling pianos, and an occasional blues'y almost hip hop feel. With all of this plus those serious eighties genre cuts like `Talk about Nothing' and the terrific stanza to stanza transitions offered in `Life's Too Short' prove this album is well suited for the bipolar disorder in all of us.

Therefore, I will simply state to my fellow neighbors, `Y'all, it really is worth pond hopping sometimes'. I give Farrah a perfect `10'.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ken king's Review (Junkmedia), June 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Moustache (Audio CD)

Just in time for summer, Farrah has released a power-pop confection of cavity-inducing performances. Lush harmonies. Jangling guitars. Crashing drums. Throbbing, yet melodic bass. "Oooohhhs" and "Aaaaahs" shimmer in the background. Hummable songs abound, as well as choruses that beg the listener to sing along with them. If this CD were available as a set of scratchy 7" records, one would assume that a treasure trove of early 1970s pop had been located. It might also sound more appropriate if it were delivered via a transistor radio, as Farrah fits in well with musical peers such as Cheap Trick, the Raspberries, Badfinger and other three-chord, strategists.

Rubinoos "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" is the CD's token cover, and it gives a pretty good sense of the state of affairs that Farrah bring to the table. Frankly, for my taste, Farrah do a better job with it than do the Rubinoos. The advent of the post-punks helped to toughen the Farrah version of the song a bit, which removes a bit of the saccharine self-consciousness present in the original.

Their connection with power-pop movements of the 1970s is underscored lyrically as well as musically. "Seventies Superstar" could be read as an unironic description of a day in the life of Keith Partridge. At the other end of the musical and emotional spectrum is the skeletal "Only Happy When She's Sad," a brief and understated reflection on the pain of a dysfunctional relationship, written from an empathetic male perspective.

This is an ideal album for you if: you've worn out your copy of Raspberries' Best; you like to sing in the car; you like your music to have a certain seasonal resonance; the guitar, bass, drums format, to your thinking, is best used when playing aggressive, yet melodic, pop music.

Reviewing this CD is something like reviewing a bowl of chocolate pudding. It's pretty much the same from start to finish, it's really good, and even it you love it, you won't want to make your diet of this alone. Buy and enjoy, but in power-pop moderation.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This record shines!, June 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Moustache (Audio CD)

At last some real talent. Songs with tunes. Harmonies to die for. Riffs that could kill at 100 paces. This is a must-have album of classy britpop/powerpop genius. It's in my top 10 favorite albums ever.