published: 14 /
2 /
2010
Label:
Words On Music
Format: CD
Fine eighth album from Nebraskan-based dream pop act For Against, who, despite having first formed in 1985, have suddenly found themselves back in style
Review
For Against are in the strange position of having fallen back into style. Since forming in 1985 the gauzy pop auteurs have seen the tide of indie rock embrace everything from grunge to garage. Now they face a flood of their own musical descendants in bands like Sereena Maneesh and the Big Pink.
Despite the passage of time and the departure of founding members guitarist Harry Dingman (a returnee on the band’s two latest albums) and drummer Greg Hill, Jeffrey Runnings has kept the torch burning long enough for the band to release eight albums in all, the latest being ‘Never Been’.
The stately pace, minor key melodies and shimmering guitar cast a moody spell throughout ‘Never Been’, with Runnings’ voice sounding as subtly disaffected as it did in his youth. His nimble lyrics are also in evidence in songs like ‘Antidote’, which offers the bitter putdown “You seem to think writing a little note saying I’m sorry is the antidote for a long list of things gone wrong/They could never fit in the space of one song” before switching to the view of the would be apologist.
The ebb and flow of chiming strings and subtle post-punk bass guitar should appeal to both fans of the old (Kitchens of Distinction, et al.) and new (The xx, etc).
Track Listing:-
1
Sameness
2
Different Departures
3
Black Willows
4
Antidote
5
Of A Time
6
Per Se
7
Specificity
8
The Tenebrists
9
You Fade
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