The Faraway Places Issue #38

Out of the Rain, the Thunder & the Lightning(Eenie Meenie)

By Chris R. Morgan
Published: December 1st, 2008 | 12:00am

Music with even the slightest gleam of optimism has its merits in theory and practice, but on the other hand, vibes of that kind can often leave a listener existentially emptier than when they were wallowing to Joy Division in adolescence. Optimism, with all its merits and deterrents, is something that shows up in spades on Out of the Rain, the Thunder & the Lightening.

The album proves that these are indeed skilled, competent writers of song, but their mastery of atmosphere has distances to travel before perfection is reached. Polished production sets back much of what the band strives for, the most upbeat songs coming off as more fitting for a high-speed internet commercial. The album’s first full song, “The Sun Goes West” sets this mood with its simplistic upbeat chords and overbearing vocals that make cheerleaders sound like opium addicts by comparison. Lyrical themes deal in the realistic and the fantastic, with a reference to the year 1972, but remain otherwise vague about what they’re trying to tell us. ”You love all the people that you lose / Spend your life looking out at the view” sounds good right before a keyboard solo, but hardly qualifies for La Rochefoucauld-esque wisdom.

It’s unclear what the members of The Faraway Places are trying to do — on the one hand they are, without a doubt, 100% intent on rocking; on the other, there is too little rock to go around.

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