Customer Reviews

Signs of Life

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nowadays, it seems custom for popular bands (modern ones, I'm not talking about bands that remain popular due to sucess in the past resulting in cult followings and stuff like that) to follow a certain formula for making a CD.

1. Think of one above-average song.
2. Think of a great song.
3. Think of a good song.
4. Have all of the songs start with either bass or drums. If it starts with drums, add in bass next. If it starts with bass, add in drums next.
5. Have a lead singer that sounds like a teenager who's voice suddenly ceased to mature. Make sure he's good looking.
6. Add in a bunch of filler tracks with little or no effort put into them in hopes that record companies will only pay attention to the previous three items and allow for the securing of a record deal.

I don't know if all Finland bands are like Poets of the Fall, but these guys are determined to stay away from this sell-out-and-bring-in-the-dinero-so-we-can-go-home attitude and they succeed by any standard one could think of. Most noticably in two areas:
The instrumental ssection is certainly played brilliantly in all songs, but where this band has accepted a fact that many people are in deniable about right now: the lead singer's voice can be good AND sound fully grown, and not like a boy going through puberty. The lead singer, if you were to classify him by his vocal range/sound, is a baritone who *nearly* can make the tenor range. And, to all of those who have not heard the lead singer's voice and are worried about potential European accents or mannerisms, his English sounds impeccable despite the fact that he's Finnish. You'd think he's a US native. A faint, barley noticable "southern twang" is evident in his voice because that's how non-British Europeans sound when they sing in English, but I thought these guys were US until I found out they were based in Finalnd. He is just what the music-starved soul ordered: a beutiful albeit an unusual voice.
Secondly, absolutley every single song sounds like it came from a "Greatest Hits" album, so well-thought out and enjoyable to listen to. What's more, these guys are one of the most versatile rock...no, *music* groups that I have ever seen. I use rock with hesitancy, but if I absolutley had to classify them, that's what I'd call them. But, unlike every rock group out there now, they have figured out almost all demographics of music possible and made 2-3 songs for each of them.

For the faint-of-heart love-song and lullaby suckers:
"Sleep"
"Late Goodbye"
"Someone Special"

For the Tough Guys and Electric Guitar Junkies:
"Lift"
"Overboard"
"Don't Mess With Me"

For the Sit-Back-And-Relaxe Slackers and Road Trip Drivers:
"3AM"
"Shallow"
"Stay"

For the Poets and Pondering Intellectuals (admirerers of lyrics):
"Illusion & Dream"
"Seek You Out"
"Everything Fades"

The second-most amazing part of this band: THIS IS THEIR DEBUT ALBUM!
The most amazing part of this band: THEY HAVE NOT SECURED A US RECORD DEAL DESPITE AMAZING SUCESS IN FINLAND AND AN EVIDENT TALENT THAT SURPASSES ALMOST IF NOT EVERY CURRENT MAINSTREAM ROCK BAND!

If you are ready for twelve tracks worth of amazing and perhaps unparalleled music, buy this CD. Better yet, if yo're in the recording industry in the US, SIGN THESE GUYS AND GIVE THEM THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE!!!

I cannot even begin to describe how much I like this album. I heard "Late Goodbye" after finishing Max Payne 2, and was transfixed. I think it was the only time I've ever sat through closing credits of ANYTHING, much less a video game. The lyrics, the vocals, and the musicianship were fantastic. Anyway, I finally figure out who wrote and performed the song, then went to their website. I have been waiting for this album to be released for almost a year, and it has been well worth the wait. It kind of reminds me of Tantric with talent, and more melodic.

My major beef is that the CD costs some clams, but it's worth every penny. I hope that these guys get some sort of record deal here in the States and release a few songs to the mainstream music scene, because it would thrash anything even close to what is passing for music now on American radio. This is a concert that I would not miss were they to play here.

Just get the CD. I've said enough.

I took a gamble with this CD, having only known "Late Goodbye" from the "Max Payne 2" video game, but this gamble paid off with a royal flush! This album is so incredibly good!

The style falls into what I call "ambient rock". No, it's not New Age or anything close. It's style relies a lot on powerful, rock instruments and background sustain, which makes the music seem to suspend itself, with very little dependency on synthesizers. That gives it a raw yet tempered sound that is incredibly genuine and unique.

Each track is powerful yet smooth at the same time -- sort of like a combination of Dave Matthews, Pat Benatar, Matchbox 20, and Creed, yet at the same time nothing like any of them. Each track is pure rock that completely envelopes your senses. Listening to this CD with quality headphones is absolutely amazing. It's baffling why this group is not more popular than they are.

Buy this CD. Seriously. It's that good. This is the best CD purchase that I've made in years.

This album is a fantastic debut. I had to hunt around for awhile and ended up buying it via a distributor in Finland. I paid over $40 including shipping. Crazy price for a CD, but no one in the U.S. was importing it at the time.

I'm so pleased to see that finally someone state-side has discovered this band.

If they ever tour in the U.S. (I hope they do), I'm betting they would be an instant hit.

Their music reminds me of a blend of U2, Collective Soul, and Sting. I know that sounds weird, but all I can say is they have the umph of U2, the soul of Collective, and the articulate lyrics of Sting.

One of the best premier CDs that I've ever heard and well worth the price - even what I paid for it! :)

If you'd like a free taste of their talent, and you happen to be a PC gamer, fire up the recently released Battlefield 2 game and goto the credits. POTF's hit "Lift" is the background music.

The album is mostly a mix of uplifting rock (with some hint of late 80's to early 90' style) and what I'd best describe as ballads. A couple of the songs' lyrics are borderline Christian rock, but that's partly what makes this album so appealing. It is a unique blend of talent and music which always sounds refreshing.

I've heard about POTF after hearing Late Goodbye on Max Payne 2 credits, and feeling amazed by this music. So I started to look for the band and after some research I was in their website, I got all their singles, including this one, and waited for their debut album.

Boy, it's one of the finest things I've listened in pop rock for all my life. The songs are amazing, the feeling is deep, the lyrics are somewhat poetic. And the album is an import. It's a shame that other record companies are not interested in release this work in their own countries. When the music market will grow up and wake up for the real music?

Songs like "Lift", "Overboard", "Late Goodbye", "3 AM", "Illusion and Dream" are already part of my classic rock discography, this album was born being a classic.

If you want to get some new and good rock music today, I strongly suggest that you consider giving these guys a chance.

I still find it amazing that almost nobody has heard of these guys outside of Finland. I live in the US. Every single person I've had listen to this album thought it was great, and most asked if the band had other albums out because they wanted more. I had to explain this is their first album, and they're still little known here in the US. POTF's music is generally lighter fare, easy to listen to, and the songs range from upbeat (intro track Lift) to fairly sad (Late Goodbye, Beautiful Ones). Other than that, it's hard to classify these guys; their music blends several different genres, yet unlike most such attempts it works perfectly for them and gives them a unique sound.
Anyway, my hat's off to these guys, and I can't wait for their next album (and better coverage here in the US!).

ok so i heard of poets of the fall about 6 months ago and i listened to some of their stuff and i thought it was decent, but it wasnt until my girlfriend(who is Finnish)really got me into them. to say the least these guys are an amazing band. songs like Lift and The Beautiful Ones are amazing. if you want to catch something that is hot and new out of a country that is making some of the best music out there (Finland) then pick this up...you wont be let down by Poets Of The Fall.

Poetic, that is the only word I can find to define the state-of-the-art album that you are viewing now. This album is entitled as Signs of Life, and it really shows the way it was developed and how this is supposed to sound. The sound of this band goes far beyond your expectations of an Skandinavian band, most times they tend to sound as pretty cold and harsh but these guys are not precisely that. Warm lyrics, still melancholic and simple. And the best of all, NOT CORNY, NOT CHEESY, NOT STUPID as the I-want-to-be-popular-and-mainstream-but-I-want-to-sound-intellectual bands, but very intellectual indeed and completely poetic. Authentic and very bohemian with a touch of the classic snobbish sound from distant lands, Poets Of The Fall brag of a unique talent to show the warmth of Nordic hearts using very low-beat drums and brit pop guitars whether acoustic or electric. The lyrics are absolute poems to life itself like in Shallow, Illusion and Dreams, Late Goodbye and Seek You Out. The rest of the album is a banana and chocholate with whole milk milkshake for the hearing, complete, tasty, deliciously developed and absolutely guilty. This is one of those albums that you really regret buying in a cold and rainy night because of the memories and feelings it brings you back, but you still play as a good poetic masoquist. Love is hidden here, perfectly hidden so you can still enjoy the music and lyrics without feeling like you bought a boy band album. I still play it on rainy nights and long plane trips.

I have listened to a good deal of music, and I have never heard anything or any artist like Poets of the Fall. I discovered them on a lyrics website where I was looking for three songs for an English assignment. I randomly picked an artist I thought sounded interesting, and looked at the lyrics for "Lift" (which remains my favorite song). I was instantly captured by the witty and sensitive lyrics even though I hadn't heard the song itself.

When I went to their website and listened to the sample for "Lift", I thought it was too good to be true. Poets of the Fall have everything: amazing lyrics, an unmatched singer, tasteful music (the guitar doesn't overpower the voice; everything is in perfect harmony), and song subjects that aren't chiche or overused.

Well, I listened to all of the "Signs of Life" samples until I ordered the CD. Poets of the Fall remain my absolute favorite band ever, and now I'm repeating the experience by listening to the samples for "Carnival of Rust", their next album. I haven't been able to find the album, though on their website they claimed Amazon was selling it. I can only hope that Amazon starts selling it quick, because I can't wait until I listen to all the full-length songs.

If you're reading this then you're already looking at this album to possibly buy. Don't bother looking anymore, just buy it already. I have very picky tastes in music due to being raised by a father with a Ph.D. in Music and listening to all types all my life. If any part of the music is lacking, I usually don't even bother with it. But this album has it all. Great songs, great musicians, great vocals, everything. BUY this album now, don't look back, and thank me later.