FAIRCHILD - EP REVIEW
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| Fairchild - Arcadia EP |
Fairchild - Arcadia EP
Release Date - 25th March 2013
It's been a little while since
I've had the time to sit down and get any blogging done so I was really excited
about the prospect of an inbox full of audio treats to wrap my ears around like
a single girl with a box of chocolates on valentine's day. The first selection I made was a six piece
from Australia's Gold Coast by the name of Fairchild - recently changed from
Fairchild Republic which I think is a good move as they now sound less like a conceited
clothing store for the impossibly thin and constipated - and what a selection
it was! The opening and title track of this EP is sumptuous slice if
indie-pop-rock that is instantly infectious and fits in neatly alongside
Vampire Weekend, Maccabees, Foals, Peace or Two Door Cinema Club. What makes
this stand out though is the voice of singer Adam Lyons which has the texture
of velvet, the allure of hot tub on a cold day but the impact of a Kangaroo
punch to the diaphragm. Vocally and stylistically Lyons is somewhere in the
Brandon Boyd league of singers which is no bad thing in my book.
'Stay Young' is an anthemically
intentioned song that never quite delivers on its promise but is nonetheless
better than anything produced by the Feeling, Snow Patrol or Keane in recent
years. 'Outside' is full of delicate guitars, swoopy synths and crashing
cymbals but, again, it feels like an album track rather than anything more
vital. Final track, 'Running Bear', has more intrigue about it with a dark and
sparse electro intro that draws you in immediately before the song starts to
build in to something bigger, something better. Elements of the Killers or
alt-pop acts like Kimbra and Robyn are clearly there but these 6 gentleman are
hanging on to Indie for dear life and I think that might be what's holding them
back. For years, I've been waiting for a really good pop act to come along that
do justice to the genre without being a manufactured abomination or a flash in
the pan. I feel like Fairchild have the ability to be that pop act but it
depends on whether they have the guts. Like openly gay sportsmen, unashamed pop
acts are rare but fantastic things.
More information:
https://www.facebook.com/wearefairchild
Live Dates:
4th April - Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane (w/ Nantes +
Battleships)