Well I could write an essay on the reaction that Fightstar have sparked in the music world. If you don’t know frontman Charlie Simpson was a former member of boyband Busted, chances are you’ve been living under a rock for the past four or five years. And while his decision to quit the pop world and become a bona fide rock star was discussed, dissected and ridiculed at length for a long, long time, the world seems to have forgotten and forgiven. And then Fightstar signed to Deep Elm and it all started again…
British readers will recognise this record from last year, but it’s only now getting an American release on Deep Elm. While certainly more rock than many other DE releases, it’s also more controversial in terms of its roots – and will surely have done both sides no harm in terms of publicity. But what about this record, the band’s first official release? If you take it for what it is, and forget the hype which surrounds it, it’s not too bad. A largely rock-based record, with elements of more progressive post-hardcore bands, most of the songs feature heavy guitar riffs, crashing drums and Mr Simpson’s distinguishing vocals.
‘Lost Like Tears In Rain’, for example, is a pretty impressive song. It doesn’t break new boundaries, but it’s a very solid track. Likewise ‘Paint Your Target’ and ‘Palahniuk’s Laughter’, the band’s first single. Don’t get me wrong, not every track is a winenr – ‘Amethyst’, for example, is a bit dull, while ‘Until Then’ is a little post-hardcore by numbers. But on the whole, this is reasonably good for the kind of music Fightstar try and play – which, let’s face it, is possibly past its shelf life as a genre. This record probably wouldn’t have got so much publicity if it wasn’t for their ‘famous’ singer, but overall it’s not all that bad at all.
www.fightstarmusic.com
Deep Elm
Paul