Release date: October/November 2013
Genre: Folk / Alternative Rock.
Label: Bear Machine Records
When browsing random YouTube videos you can end up in one of two places: The weird place or exactly where you should be. On a random search I ended up in the latter category and I was presented with Radical Face. This band is the offspring of one Mr. Benjamin Cooper, is the maker of this band and its label "Bear Machine Records". This album is the seventh release of Radical Face, with the first being released in 2003. If you haven't heard from this Florida based band, you should check out this wicked album!
The first song is an intro called "Gray Skies". I am a fan of a well written intro that leads easily into the next song. This one has some interesting vocals that reminds you of "Mykonos" by Fleet Foxes (Not complaining, I am a big fan). After listening to the transition to the next song I had a hard time deciding whether it should just have been the start of the next song or an intro. But after listening to it 5 times (yes, I counted) I realized that it was the perfect lead to the second song.
That song is called "Holy Branches". Like stated in the comments made about the previous song, it connects very beautifully to the intro. The piano and acoustic guitar takes your hand and lead you into the rest of the song. You will not be disappointed. The lyrics are about not finding yourself when growing up and how life was different as a young person. This one is a bit bitter but is portrayed in a happy way.
Favorite quote: "'Cause Earth won't give damn if you are lost."
Official video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTwk0TsB5jM
Next up is "The Mute". It starts with an acoustic guitar and some Bon Iver-ish oohs. The song picks up and gets the foot stomping to the beat of the song. The song never really reaches its peak but keeps you in a relaxed mood throughout. The song is about a child that feels misunderstood and like a burden to its parents so he decides to run away. The lyrics are very well written and are the reason this is one of the songs that stands out. Ben writes in a way that makes it really easy to imagine the setting.
Favorite quote: "And I spent my evenings pulling stars out of the sky, and I'd arrange them on the lawn where I would lie."
"Reminders" is up next. It can go either way in the beginning. But, thankfully, Ben decides to take it the right way. Soon after the halfway mark it gets turned up a notch only to end in the same way it started. Not really my favorite song on this album but it isn't bad. This song is about someone that feels like a let down in life. The lyrics and how they fit with the instruments are the strong side of this song.
Next up is a number called "Summer Skeletons". A very interesting name and the break in the beginning gets me every time. The beginning makes you excited about what is coming up. And you will not be disappointed! This song is about reminiscing about childhood relationship. The piano gives the impression of childhood playfulness and the percussion is simple yet effective. The lyrics in this one are also great and the vocal line sets the mood for what he is saying.
"The Crooked Kind" is up! This one is my favorite on this album. According to Ben this song is about a kid that is embarrassed for his family being strange. He says that he went through a phase like that, as being a part of a mixed-race family and wishing being more normal. This song is more playful than the lyrics would suggest and is almost upbeat (kind of). This one is better experienced by yourself than explained.
Short one: "Chains" is barely two and a half minutes. The thing is; it doesn't need more time to reel you in. It leaves you wanting more as you don't believe it was over so quickly. It mixes a beat with A-oohm in the beginning. The lyrics describe a good friendship that is now over because they grew apart. Following my favorite song it doesn't surrender to the giant before it. It catches you and keeps you until the end (the end that came to soon ("is what she said")).
Who doesn't like "Letters From Home"? This song is about a man who gets shot during some war. He is in a pretty bad condition and the lyrics are his "letters to home". While he speaks of all the things he will miss with his family back home, he has made peace with his choices in life. This song brings me down every time I listen to it (but in a good way). The instrumental works towards the end give you an insight into the mind of the narrator and gives you a picture of the soldier's state of mind. Definitely a song I keep coming back to.
This is followed by a very fitting title: "From the Mouth of an Injured Head". Starts more upbeat than the songs before it. The lyrics aren't happy though, but fits with the mood of the rest of the album. This song is about, as the title so elegantly describes, the thought of a person who got a head injury. The narrator is suffering from memory loss. The interesting mix of sad lyrics and upbeat music makes this one of my top 3 tracks on this album. The lyrics are quite simple but they are spot on with the music.
Next up is "Southern Snow", something we get a glimpse of every once in awhile in Reykjavík (even though it soon turns to rain). Not many words in this one but they set the mood. This one is about a day when the narrator has a child on the same day as his sisters disappears into the woods. This will leave your stoner head in a mush. Powerful song and really great.
"The Gilded Hand" is next. The behemoth of this album, it is over 6 minutes long. I didn't quite like it when I first heard it but this is a number that grows on you. It is a bit artsy (just the way I like it) and all it wants to do is take you on a blissful musical ride, only asking your permission. This song has an almost psychedelic feel to it, in a folksy/indie way. According to Ben on one of their performances, this song is about how the future children of America need to be protected from the past of child labor and the horrors kids had to go through. Great number that gets better every time I listen to it.
The last track is called "We All Go the Same". It starts with a monkish humming only to be taken over by Ben and his accordion (or keyboards). A beautiful song about the status of people as they die. It doesn't matter what people do throughout the course of their lives, we all end up dying. It gives hope for the one that has little and puts fear to the people that have a lot to lose. A brilliant ending to a great album.
Overall: This album has a "whole" feel to it. This is the works of an artist that planned how the songs would hang together, instead of being a showoff showcase. The lyrics are very well written and never leaves you thinking; this was written by an angry sixteen year old (not dissing young lyricist, but you know what I mean). I don't understand why I don't see the name "Radical Face" in bold on a festival poster. This act would be very fitting on any folk-rock / indie festival. Maybe we just aren't ready for a face this radical. Maybe Benjamin Cooper has some more pressing issues to tend to. Or maybe he needs our help to reach international status! Whatever the reason is, we want to see and hear more from you. You can check out the webpage: http://www.radicalface.com/ and see what Ben is up to or check out this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RadicalFace
Listen if you like: Fleet Foxes, The Lumineers, Iron & Wine, Death Cab For Cutie.
Author: Hlynur M.
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