fightstar - grand unification
well i never. something is definitely weird going on with this release. people are having to take this new band featuring charlie from busted seriously. playlouder recently let him loose over the new singles selection and he spent the whole session going on about his love for all things post-rock, declaring that the current spate of guitar toting monkeys worthless and lacking in depth. then i read a review of this album in the fly. surely they of all people are going to hammer this album into the ground with biting sarcasm and wit? nope they love it. an ex-pop star being given a second chance by the hardened music press. will wonders never cease !
so i dug the cd out of the current pile, and decided to see if i too was going to be as enthralled. not being a massive fan of all that is post-rock imagine how surprised i was when the opening track, 'to sleep', is one gorgeous massive piano filled instrumental like a b-side to a recent mogwai track, and one that lures the listener in. but no sooner have your senses been soothed, than the big modern rock noise lets rip with the huge 'grand unification pt1'. windswept drama, crashing chords and epic in stature the track shows the real desire and direction of our punkpop hero.
heartbroken fans of usa teenflick 'the oc' are gonna lap this stuff up, as the vibe throughout the album is one of angst, lost love and broken dreams, while massive effect heavy guitars are chopped and layered beyond all reasonable doubt. the sound is mighty and rather impressive throughout with some fantastic subtle touches that keep the album from drifting totally into modern standard rock fare. the cutup guitars during 'sleep well tonight', the industrial like scream vocals interspersed with the more melodic style during the euphoric but intense 'build an army', the doubled up acoustic guitar opening of 'here again (last conversation)' and so on. production by colin richardson (place buncha hard edged rock bands here), is consistently interesting and maintains the interest levels, rarely dipping into mushy middle of the road territories, though the reach for the skies uptempo feel of 'open your eyes', with its simple, direct addictive little groove, could be the crossover hit of the album.
a word of warning, anyone expecting this to be a genetically modified version of the old band, a la 'son of dork' are in for a shock. this is big, loud, and rather proud modern angry rock music for people who wear black, don't like fun, celebrity reality shows and generally are pissed off with everything around them.
basically, those goth fixated teenagers on coronation street would love this album.
fair play, the pin up boy done good.