Tales Don't Tell Themselves

Funeral for a Friend

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 18, 2007)
• Original Release Date: May 15, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Wea Japan
• ASIN: B000P6R962
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #118,734 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Tales don’t tell themselves, but Matt Davies, lead singer of the Welsh band Funeral for a Friend, will tell them to you. On the band’s third proper album stateside, his tales materialize as songs which he describes as dramatic and intense with a sense of urgency. Produced by Gil Norton (Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters, Dashboard Confessional), the lead single Into Oblivion (Reunion) showcases soaring guitars, thoughtful lyrics, and even a string section and is set to propel the band further into the American mainstream. Following an upcoming run on the European festival circuit, the band will be headed back to the States for another summer on the Vans’ Warped Tour bringing the rock to the masses.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars All good things must come to an end, May 22, 2007

By	Critik - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales Don't Tell Themselves (Audio CD)

I don't know who to blame - the band or the producer - but this album is not what I would expect from one of the few remaining interesting bands out there (in their genre, of course). They took their complex instrumentation - brilliantly written rhythm sections and intricate guitar patterns - and dumbed it way down. I did not feel any 'soul' in the new songs - they did not inspire me and I did not actually feel compelled to move to the music, which is very uncharacteristic of their sound. Unless this new-found style is actually artistically or personally enriching for the band (which I don't see how it could be, but stranger things have happened), I would suspect that each of the band members are slightly embarrassed by the end product. I call it a product rather than an artistic work because it seems to me that it is just another commercially-motivated project that seeks to please a targeted audience (something I desperately hoped FFAF would not resort to).

What saddens me the most is that FFAF was such an amazing band and gave me hope that music can still be good even in this age of mass-consumerism (which has managed to actually compromise the integrity of art for the sake of profit). I guess it was nice while it lasted.

I agree with some of the other posts - fans of earlier FFAF material will most likely not enjoy this album - it simply does not sound like the same band. On the other hand, if you listen to this album and pretend that it is not FFAF, you might be ok with it (with a strong emphasis on might). I should clarify something at this point. For the kind of music that it is, it is not bad (it is comparable to other bands writing similar music -see below) - it just doesn't fit my musical tastes, and probably won't fit the musical tastes of others who really liked old FFAF.

For fans of Fall Out Boy, Simple Plan, Yellowcard, Hoobastank, etc.

When everything's said and done, I wouldn't mind getting my US$10.99 back

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars sad, May 16, 2007

By	Tony Brandvold - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Tales Don't Tell Themselves (Audio CD)

I really hate it when bands don't achieve the success they would like to, so they keep getting more and more radio friendly. Funeral for a Friend is a very good example. Hours really showed that FFAF was taming their sound. It was still good however. Now with FFAF latest release you'd swear you were listening to a goddamn easy listening album. Where's the double bass kicks? Wheres the signature FFAF guitar complexity?? I could care less about the old screaming that they once did, but the music itself is too damn tame. All the elements that made Funeral For A Friend the great band that I once loved are gone. This album ain't necessarily bad, but its not for me. If you liked their older stuff and expected something along those lines, do not buy this. It's just sad.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Please, Not FFAF... , May 31, 2007

By	Noe Anton (Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Tales Don't Tell Themselves (Audio CD)

OK, while listening to FFAF's new album, I will have to say that I have to agree with most of the other reviews. This album is ok, but just that. Gone are the time shifts, guitar complexity in favour for a more mainstream melodic sound. It's not bad, it's actually rather good by "Mainstream standards", if I had actually heard an album like this from Simple Plan I would have been impressed and would have considered it a progression for Simple Plan, but for FFAF, this is a step back. In "Hours" you could easily distinguish that the old metal influences were fading away, there were no screaming parts except for one or two songs, and they had blatant sing-along slow-tempo ballads. I didn't care at all, since the album still sounded tight and they kept their signature musicianship overall, it was not perfect, but it was still very good. I guess that FFAF succumbed to the mainstream success, I can't imagine why, maybe "Hours" was not what they expected it to be for their pockets, maybe they are tired. I don't know...