Although I haven’t been posting lately, I have been doing a lot of listening in preparation for end of the year evaluation lists. One of the albums I have slowly become more enamoured with over time is Faunts’ Feel.Love.Thinking. Of.
Since this Edmonton, Alberta, band formed back in 2000, it’s surprising that we haven’t heard more of them. Following their 2005 debut full-length High Expectations/Low Results they released a 2006 EP and an EP of remixes last year. Feel.Love.Thinking.Of. is their second full-length.
Members consist of the three Batke brothers (Rob–keys and laptop, Steven–vocals and guitar, Tim–vocals, guitar, and keyboard ), Paul Arnusch on drums, and Scott Gallant on bass.
Their sound spans a wide range between ambient, electronica, and shoegaze; but what is remarkable is how well and beautifully they present these genres, either in pure form or blended. The first song I heard was “It Hurts Me All the Time,” which is brighter and peppier than the title would lead you to think, but it didn’t excite me a lot. However, the slow, deliberate build and denouement of “Alarmed/Lights” immediately got me hooked. The song takes its time, and lyrics don’t come in for almost a full minute, but when they do, they are intriguing: “We grabbed our things and ran/We ran ’cause all was lost.” We never know the reason, but the hollow desolation of an aftermath is clear.
I was pulled further into the album by the regretful reverie of “Input” (“It’s hard to tell what takes me away, but I know for years I’ve lived in shame and I think about the wasted years as I fall into myself”), and the urban cool of “Lights Are Always On.” “Out on a Limb” has some snappy dance beats, and “I Think I’ll Start a Fire” is reminiscent of Swedish electronica. There is even a wonderful instrumental, “Das Malefitz,” that is similar to Dead Leaf Echo or Tristeza. The title tune and the two ending tracks,”So Far Away” and “Explain,” are deliciously like the One AM Radio or Boy In Static.
I have found that “It Hurts Me All the Time” has a fit in the context of the album that makes it more appealing to me than when it stands alone. All the songs are beautiful, strong, and engaging and do not suffer from the comparisons with other artists. This is one of my Favorites of 2009, and the second band in my top 10 albums to come from Alberta. More on that soon!
Faunts - Alarmed/Lights from Feel. Love. Thinking. Of. (2009)
[wpaudio url=”http://www.speedofdark-web.com/speedofdark/2009/December/faunts_explain(CWL_remix).mp3″ text=”Faunts - Explain (Cassettes won’t Listen remix”)
MySpace | Website | Label: Friendly Fire Recordings
Buy at Friendly Fire Store, Amazon, and eMusic
Feel.Love.Thinking.Of video
- alt-gramma (371)
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- Uncle T (7)
you’re going to have a favorites list just of bands from alberta? you’re amazing!
i will listen to anything remixed by cassettes won’t listen, so i will have to check this out. i am so out of the music loop at the moment it isn’t funny, however. i doubt i’ll even have a top-ten year-end list.
December 14th, 2009 at 7:17 am
Oh, LOL, no! Not just from Alberta! However, I noticed that three favorites of this year–Woodpigeon, Faunts, and Rural Alberta Advantage–as well as last year’s Rae Spoon, are all from that province. Something is going on up there in the Great White North.
Although I have my list, if I don’t spend some time writing the posts, nobody will know about it. I am sorry you are feeling out of the loop, and I hope you feel better soon.
December 17th, 2009 at 1:20 pm