SHREDnews

By: Steph Mirsky

Farewell Fighter in a power pop, rock group from Nashville, TN who knows how to infuse the proper level of synth and rock to create a sound that holds its own in an over saturated genre.  The band is composed of Kenny Fleetwood (vocals, guitar), Lee Morton (guitar, vocals), Preston Jackson (bass), and Matt Hooper (drums).  Although The Winning Team is not exactly a stand out album, it holds promise for the young band and showcases their talent in a positive light.

The album starts off with “It’s All In The Hips,” a song that starts with a great musical introduction that it automatically hooks the listener in for the crisp vocals that follow.  The theme is all too familiar for this genre: another love-hurt anthem that pits lusting after a girl against having the strength to walk away.  However, where Farewell Fighter struck genius is in the way they change the tone of the song to reflect which side of the story the listener is receiving.  This upbeat dance song flows almost perfectly into the following track, “Square State Syndrome.”

Contrasting sharply to the commonplace power pop song is “Square State Syndrome,” which features nice breakdowns that give the band members a chance to demonstrate their musical talent.  The slower portions of the song partner nicely with Fleetwood’s vocals, creating a fluid sound that highlights many synth portions.  Versatility is exactly what this track is about and delivers perfectly for the boys of Farewell Fighter.

The Winning Team gets slightly repetitious at the middle of the album with “Anthem West” and self-titled “The Winning Team.”  It isn’t that these are not good songs, it is simply that they both seem to string together, as if the band became stagnant.  Focusing too heavily on creating a true power pop sound and consequently struggling to explore their own true sound.

However, Farewell Fighter seemed to hit their stride again on “Have Spacesuit Will Travel,” which clearly sounds more like the band’s true sound and less of a generic power pop song.  I feel as though this track shows the full potential of the band and acts as a slower track with uplifting tones that keep the attention of the listener.  Moving into the final track on the album, Farewell Fighter made a beautiful metaphorical reference to Where The Wild Things Are with the title “I’ll Be Max, You Be The Monster.”  This track is more of a true power rock song that establishes the bands potential for more mature music, separating them from the rest of the generic sounding pop bands crowding the genre.

Overall, this album is one of growth; one that will surely generate some interest around Farewell Fighter and pave the way for them to create a mature and well-crafted full-length.  The band has already been booking shows in the Tennessee area, producing a fan base and posting some strong numbers for an unsigned band on MySpace.  I have a feeling these guys have a career ahead of them and we can be sure we will not be saying farewell to them any time soon.

For Fans Of: Single File // Sing It Loud // Mae

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Top Tracks To Listen To: I’ll Be Max, You Be the Monster, The Winning Team, It’s All in the Hips

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/farewellfighter