Fable Cry - Fool Me Once

Preface

Fable Cry is one of the more interesting bands I have come across recently. Their songs give you a sense that you might actually be in some kind of fable, or a play at the very least. I was turned onto this band by one of its members that happened to be streaming on twitch. Speaking of which she is quite talented and you can check her out here. Anyway, after I listened to a few of their songs I felt compelled to get their newest album and give it a listen. 

History

Fable Cry consists of Zach Ferrin, Jo Cleary, Scott Fernandez, Killian LaFave, and Andrew Core. Fable Cry is a theatrical rock band based out of Nashville Tennessee. Work for their first album began in 2010 with the help of Zach Ferrin's sister Kirstie Ferrin. They released their first self-titled album in 2011. In 2014 after Kirstie left, the band was expanded to include the members listed above. The now full band went on to write another album titled "We'll Show You Where the Monsters Are" that released in 2015. Five years later they went on to release the album that this post is about entitled "Fool Me Once." It is also worth noting that Fable Cry hosts the "Festival of Ghouls" every year which is a Halloween party/music/entertainment event.

Review

As I mentioned Fable Cry describe themselves as a Theatrical Rock band and quite frankly I think they nailed it on the head. The theatrics of their songs and especially their music videos make you feel as if you're watching a well made musical play. "Fool Me Once" itself tells its own story over the course of the hour or so runtime. The songs do not necessarily flow together like Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" but they do have a thru-line with brief preludes explaining what the protagonists are up to. The album even contains an intermission so you can stretch your legs for a bit and grab a drink before returning to the listening experience. Overall I would say that this is one of the more unique albums I have had the pleasure of listening to. That is not to say that I would listen to these songs everyday or even add them into my regular playlist. They work better together and listening too them piecemeal certainly hurts the theatrical aspect of the album. Below I will add one of Fable Cry's singles so that you can get a sense of what this band is about. While they may not become part of your regular listening material I think listening to this album full through once is a worthwhile experience at the very least.

  

Reviews

There may be more reviews coming soon. Not sure how many people actually read these but I kind of midd doing them and I think I might have more time and motivation to start doing them again soon. Thanks

-EONM

VARSITY (2)

VARSITY was the first band I covered on this review blog. Since making that initial review I have listened to all of their works and they have become my favorite band. They have released several things since that initial review so I thought it might be nice to come back to them and give my thoughts on some of their more recent ventures.

First, let's start with their 2018 album Parallel Person. I absolutely love this album. It's more melancholy than their earlier music but it still retains their refreshing laid back style. That's not to say it doesn't have its moments of intensity but overall I found the album was something you could put on while you relaxed or in my case drove to wherever my mood took me. This was my album of the summer if not the year. I don't know the exact number of times I've listened to it fully through but I know I listened to it around 20 times in the first week of its release. The emotion within the music is palpable and deep. There's not a good way to describe the feeling I get while listening to this album but the point is that I do feel something. Whatever they're doing, they're doing it right. My only gripe is that when I purchased the disc and vinyl the album did not get added to my Bandcamp library. It's a minor complaint but it still would have been nice to receive that.

Later in the fall of 2018, they dropped two singles. These were U.F.O and The Dogs Only Listen to Him. These songs once again were works of art. I have nothing to say about them other than they are great songs.

Most recently they released a compilation album of their singles from 2015-2016 named The Basement Takes (2015-2016). This album also includes two new unreleased singles that I thought were absolutely stellar. They were better than U.F.O. and The Dogs Only Listen to Him and they fit quite nicely into the album.

Overall VARSITY has been kicking ass. I love everything they've been up to and I can't wait to see what they'll do in the future. Definitely go check them out if you're looking for some of the best music out there. I know I spent the whole post talking about how great they are but I swear they aren't paying me to say this. 😅

TEMPOREX

History: Not too much is known about TEMPOREX other than a couple of minor details. His real name is Joseph Flores and he's from San Diego, California. As of posting this, he's around 18 years old. His music used to be available for free and you could donate if you want but he has since changed that. He has one album on his Bandcamp but he has several other singles that aren't included there. You can find them on amazon music if your really looking to listen to them.

The Scoop: I started listening to TEMPOREX around the same time I discovered Beach House because they both encompass the genre of dream pop. TEMPOREX makes music that sounds very modern day rap/hip-hop inspired. In an interview (which I'll embed below) he talks about how he listened to Tyler the Creator and completely changed the way he started making his music. The songs are short and sweet but they pack a punch. I very much recommend checking out the tracks I've added below.

Beach House

History: Beach House is a dream pop band from Baltimore, Maryland that formed in 2004. They have 7 full albums and 1 compilation album as of 2018. They released their first self-titled album in 2006. Beach House is the most critically acclaimed band within the niche genre of dream pop and has performed at many music festivals such as Coachella and Austin City Limits Music Festival.

The Scoop: Beach House is the first band to introduce me to the genre of dream pop. It's a sort of strange "floaty" music that's really great when you want to relax and forget about life for a bit. I listened to a couple of their tracks pretty heavily, my favorite being Space Song. I was in the middle of my second semester of college when I happened upon them and they helped me a lot to not stress out. I even included them in a college presentation about oddball music genres. Their music is very synth heavy with soft vocals to accompany. This combination works surprisingly well and delivers a sound that you'll want to listen to on repeat till you drift off to sleep.

Below I've embedded the aforementioned track "Space Song" as well as Lemon Colored Glow from their newest album "7". Give them a listen and tell me what you think.

Alvvays

History: Alvvays is an indie pop group from Ontario, Canada. They currently have two albums; Alvvays (2014) and Antisocialites (2017). Their music has been described as Jangle Pop or Dream Pop. The band has had several live shows and are still touring around as of this post going up. It's also worth noting that Alvvays is pronounced "Always".

The Scoop: Alvvays is a very cool and unique band that I happened upon while randomly clicking through youtube suggested videos. The first song I found was Archie, Marry Me. I really enjoyed the feeling that the song brought with it. It was almost like going back in time. I purchased the song and listened to it for a couple weeks before seeking more from this group.  I was pleasantly surprised to find another song I really enjoyed titled Dreams Tonite. I only listened to this song for a couple days before going and purchasing Alvvays' full discography. There was only one song I didn't end up adding to my playlist after listening to both albums. This band has such a unique vibe that you really can't get anywhere else. I highly suggest listening to the tracks I've embedded below.

Spotify

Check out this Spotify playlist with all the songs from my posts and more!