Fanfarlo: Rooms Filled With Light - Album Review

Fanfarlo
Rooms Filled With Light
Rating: Grrrr

Light years ahead of their debut album Reservoir, Fanfarlo ups the ante considerably with their follow-up Rooms Filled With Light. The London quintet started out as a fairly standard alt-indie rock act, sharing commonality with bands like The National and Grizzly Bear, and most notably, the expansive earnestness of Arcade Fire. While not as unhinged as Arcade Fire, as stately as The National, or as intimate as Grizzly Bear, Fanfarlo resided in their own quiet niche of the genre, which made for a pleasant if not overly ambitious, experience. Working with producer Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter), Fanfarlo have shed most of the folky trappings of their debut, adopting more of a loose 80s new wave vibe, with lots of electronic textures to complement the sunny, shimmering guitars and more unusual instrumentation (organs, xylophones, horns, strings).

First track and single "Replicate" immediately sets the tone of the record. Staccato strings antagonize the haunting vocals, while subtle electronics flit in the background like flies around a barbecue. The pacing keeps you on edge until the glorious chorus washes over everything.



"Deconstruction" bops along a bouncy beat and swirling organ melody, gorgeous harmonies taking flight, creating an irresistible pop confection.



"Feathers" has a lovely back and forth vocal between lead singer Simon Balthazar and Cathy Lucas. The strings and vibes create a wonderful call back to bands like Haircut 100.



There is a strange undercurrent on the album, with the lyrics mostly being about somewhat post-apocalyptic themes, chaos and technology, and life in the modern world. The organic instrumentation and intruding electronics provide the perfect accompaniment to this. While most of the time it is a very subtle approach, there are several occasions where it is in the forefront. "Replicate"'s lyrics appear to be about either love, genetic disease, or both intertwined:

"How can we extricate ourselves enough
or fight something that's part of us?

Is it dead enough?
Is it still enough?
Will it replicate
Inside our bodies now?"

Or "Shiny Things," an album standout, about how we are so distracted by new technologies we don't see the world being overtaken by such things, ruminating that one day "we'll be preserved on a shelf somewhere/Give us mirrors for company."



"A Flood," which closes out the album (aside from a short instrumental), reminds me a lot of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot era Wilco, with the lovely alt-rock number interrupted by blasts of electronic distortion. The sense of hopelessness pervades the track, as if the singer has given up in the wake of insurmountable odds, sighing "let it come to pieces/let it die/let it fall/a flood will come here anyway." Not that the album is depressing in any way. Most of the tracks are rather brisk and sunny, at least musically, and the lyrics, while having weighty themes, are more wry observations than somber tracts.

I was mentioning last week that Fanfarlo is playing Coachella this year, and initially, based on my impressions of the first record, decided not to really put them on any must-see list. But with any band, regardless of how I feel about their other records, I will always at least give their new releases a listen to see if my opinion changes. In this instance, I was glad I gave Rooms Filled With Light a chance. It is a record that advances their sound leaps and bounds from their debut, and vaults them into the big leagues.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.