Examining a Coheed and Cambria album in isolation used to be the last thing that frontman Claudio Sanchez wanted. We were always supposed to take the music and lyrics he produced as one part of the increasingly-complex ‘Amory Wars’ saga, and by reading the comic books at the same time we’d experiencing his vision of multimedia storytelling. Or maybe it’s the other way around and we’re expected to unravel the story through the albums. But something’s changed in the world of Coheed and Cambria. While yes, of course, it’s all supposed to link in with the sci-fi universe that he’s established in his long career, ‘The Father Of Make Believe’ marks a fundamental shift in the nature of the Coheed sound. It’s all suddenly become more human, more rooted in this dimension, and ever so much more appealing.
Separating it out is a tall order though. This is a very episodic record, each song a vignette designed to soundtrack a scene or moment in a wider story, much like if you were listening to a musical theatre recording. But each nugget is distinct and, fundamentally, interesting and exciting. Sanchez’s revelation mid-way through writing that his life was just as valid as the characters he creates lends an honesty to the songs which perhaps earlier releases were lacking, and each episode compressed into song form feels like it’s trying to tell us some hidden truth. Opening with the tender melancholy of ‘Yesterday’s Lost’ and its gentle honesty makes the action blaster ‘Goodbye Sunshine’, and it’s overwhelming sense of moving on, shine even brighter.
The songs where Sanchez has cast his own life into the story are the strongest on ‘The Father Of Make Believe’, adding a personal touch that earlier albums were lacking. ‘Meri of Mercy’, his tribute to his grandparents’ relationship, takes a piano core and, with a comparatively minimal guitar crutch, creates a touching and honest portrait of a romance. Sanchez’s wife appears too through ‘Corner My Confidence’, a confession of devotion that demands candlelight and a moment of reflection. However, the most important relationship that’s examined on this very reflective album is Sanchez’s links to himself. ‘Play The Poet’ sounds vitriolic at first listen, with it’s glitching samples and dramatic shift towards something approaching hip-hop, but he’s got a revelation he needs to share and a new awareness to ignite. It’s a song for those who are ready to be himself. Even the songs which are supposed to be more third-person link back to his own self-discovery, such as ‘Searching For Tomorrow’ with it’s urgent heroism and speedway guitars. It feels like an after school special’s moral, but it rings true; sometimes the most interesting characters you can create is yourself. It seems that now Sanchez is ready to get meta, he’s at his strongest musically.
With any swerve in a band’s established sound, there’s bound to be haters. For those into the twiddly, intergalactic side of Coheed, ‘The Father Of Make Believe’ still has enough intricacy to intrigue. The final four songs (‘The Continuum’ parts I-IV) are a mini prog opera in their own right, a story told over chapters with more than enough rock energy, space effects and vibrancy to satisfy. It feels like a reassuring pat on the shoulder to put them at the end of the record, a reminder that the original saga will carry on.
If you’ve felt a little alienated by the lore surrounding what’s fundamentally a very smart rock band, then ‘The Father Of Make Believe’ will be the album that welcomes you back into the fold. Claudio Sanchez is just as human as the rest of us, and he’s finally ready to explore that through an album that reaches beyond the expected.
KATE ALLVEY