FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND - Tales Don't Tell Themselves Review

After busting out on the American post-hardcore scene in 2003 with the aggressive Casually Dressed & Deep In Conversation, the Welsh quintet Funeral For A Friend have slowly yet progressively changed their sound from screaming and post-hardcore to more of a rock and roll vibe. The transformation began with 2005’s major label debut, Hours, and has been fine tuned on their latest release, Tales Don’t Tell Themselves. A complete 180 from Casually Dressed and more focused than Hours, Tales Don’t Tell Themselves serves as a concept record about a fisherman lost at sea and trying to make his way back home....full text They say time brings change, that nothing ever stays the same. And it's true, just ask Welsh rock mob Funeral For A Friend. The band have continued to grow ever since their startlingly brilliant debut Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation, so much so that frontman Matt Davies forayed effectively into alt-country land as part of side project The Secret Show just a mere couple of months ago....full text Maybe we're asking too much of our pop-punk bands these days. Look at the transformations they've forced upon themselves, going from writing catchy three-chord bubblegum songs about girls who want nothing to do with them to penning overarching, conceptual albums full of sophomoric themes, convoluted storylines and cardboard cut-out characters. It's as if in an attempt to make up for a couple albums of frivolous pop-punk (which isn't always a bad thing), they overcompensate and fly off the deep end to prove their smarts. The list of offenders is great: My Chemical Romance, Brand New, Coheed and Cambria ......full text