First impressions can be a nasty thing in this business, with a glance at some bands opinions are gained that will never be lost, where as others you will have to eat a mighty slice of humble pie. In my case, The Fully Down is nestling quite nicely in the latter category, as my opinion has shifted more than once in the last 3 weeks.
This seven track release twists and turns more than an adulterous Sven at a wine party and manages within time to completely suck you in and spit you out (A little bit like our England manager once again…) with the pleasant feeling of having got your moneys worth. The easy criticism to make is that they are a Thrice rip off band, pure and simple. There is enough fodder for the ‘haters’ here to make a sustained attack on the bands ethics but it isn’t quite as simple as that. The likes of ‘No Fate but what we make for ourselves’ is an absolute stormer as the twisting technical guitar work opens the song up before a series of stop-starts lay their ‘smack’ down. Frustratingly though, rather than carrying the good form on, the band hit a couple of stumbling blocks as they almost fall into generic soppy bullshit a little to easily.
The culprits are the poppy ‘Best of Me’ and the drowsy ‘December’ which aren’t placed all that well slap-bang in the middle of an otherwise strong release. While such schoolboy errors can be forgiven, the band really excels when taking on extremely snappy and impressive introductions to songs. The three guitar pronged attack works extremely well on virtually all here as otherwise slightly uninspiring efforts such as ‘On Elm Street’ are saved by a volley of talent that many bands would crave for.
While a long road still lies ahead, The Fully Down can take an awful lot from a release which has seldom left my CD player of late. The production is spot on and the music for the most part keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. Most people may dismiss them as being run of the mill crap, but like a fine wine, the Fully Down prove an uplifting experience the more you take in.
Jay
www.thefullydown.com
Pop Culture Records