ALBUM REVIEW: Talk Talk – The Faim
In these bleak times, we often find ourselves unable to see the forest for the trees. Rather, the good times for the bad. Throughout this thing we call life, we must seize the opportunity to relish in achievements, love, and the art of self-discovery. Seizing that very chance, THE FAIM recently released their second album Talk Talk. Following on from 2019’s State Of Mind, the Australian quartet serve up 11 tracks of indulgent pop rock. Eleven tracks may seem intimidating at first but when those culminate in a 34-minute runtime, we do have to ask ourselves whether some of these tracks will be half-baked, or sweet palate cleansers.
The pulsation of dark toned keys from Stephen Beerkens (bass/keys) opens madly, badly, fixed; a bright boil of an introductory track. “I’m losing sleep trying to wake up someone better” Josh Raven broods with soft vocals. While the track could have remained the simmer it starts life as, the explosion of brighter pop-punk-esque guitars from Samuel Tye speak to the part of us which craves the odd cliché belter of a chorus. Cliché may carry less than favourable connotations, but for THE FAIM it does not. While only on their second album, this is a band which has a solid identity already.
Where madly, badly, fixed speaks to the willingness to sacrifice parts of ourselves for the person we love, You (And My Addiction) weaves the tale of unrequited and obsessive love. With its guitar melody loaded with distortion, the pop-punk vibes radiate from the first verse. Raven’s vocals are faster, as if word vomiting to the object of our desire, and they give the feel of standing slightly too close to us. Minimal instrumentals give the impression that we are about to head into another explosion of a chorus, yet this is a lot slower than anticipated which throws us for a loop. The unexpected is something THE FAIM are keen on delivering as we float into The Alchemist. From the off, the acoustic guitar and percussion from Linden Marissen piques our interest. As Raven’s vocals border on the psychedelic, the intoxication we experience from being hung up on love is all too real. As this hormonal concoction brews, vocals layer and grow louder. At this point, we hope a stereotypical chorus isn’t on the horizon. To our joy it is not. Instead, THE FAIM opt for the simple peak and trough, perfectly executing the idea that less is more.
Though what is an album without a band experimenting with the extravagant? It’s an experiment which doesn’t quite work in the case of THE FAIM. The Hills oozes with the lifeblood of the 80s as the verses are synth heavy and the guitars are wondrously bright. Joy is infectious… until it’s not. The heady effects on the vocals are great to listen to and lose ourselves in, but it’s towards the end of the song THE FAIM loses us. The repetition of “I’m going out to the hills” ad nauseum just gives off the impression The Hills could have ended sooner than it did. Meanwhile, Faith In Me is truly ambitious. It carries a musical theatre crossed with pop-rock inclinations, though the vocals bordering on shouting from Raven don’t connote joy but rather overexuberance to the point our eyes dart to the runtime. The great thing about Talk Talk is if there is a song which doesn’t tickle the fancy of a listener, the chances are it won’t outstay its welcome.
THE FAIM isn’t all about love hearts and serenading the beauty on the balcony. Ease My Mind has Raven looking for reassurance. “Did I misunderstand the world I’m in?” echoes a sentiment we all experience at one time or another. Were we expecting to find existential dread in a record as jubilant as this? Not at all. It’s refreshing that we do. It isn’t the dark, depressing moment we normally find ourselves in at times like these. Ease My Mind is much the opposite. Bright guitars combined with punchy drums lead into a song where we trip the light fantastic to the beat of our spiralling minds. Flowers counteracts this with its message of living in the moment. Shaking off the chains of past and future worries, THE FAIM embrace something of a hippie mentality. Again something which may carry negative connotations but doesn’t here. “Cheap wine warms up the night” as a house gets foreclosed. The guitars wrap around the verses like a sweet breeze as we find ourselves at a point of endless opportunity. It speaks of the freedom of having a “garden of thoughts” as our only possession. Though the message is sweet, the instrumentals feel too slow and dream-like for a song of celebration.
Celebration is how the album closes with the bittersweet ERA. Starting with a soft electro opening, the song slowly swells beneath the calming timbre of Raven’s voice. ERA is an education in something many never learn; the beauty of impermanence. Finding the good within the temporary. For those of us who have a hard time letting go and adjusting to change, ERA is a song of comfort yet confrontation. The delicate verses state “most people come and go”, even indicating Raven will be one of those as he sings “know I still love you all the same”. To place ERA as the closing song of the record is beautifully serendipitous. THE FAIM prompt us to celebrate the good and the bad, to realise every pain we feel is worth it in the end; embrace the temporary.
With Talk Talk, THE FAIM have sent out some wonderful songs into the world. Some of which will end up playing a vital part in our soundtrack to the summer. Will they be remembered in years from now? To the casual listener, possibly not. In a time where albums aren’t considered as an entire unit, Talk Talk is easy to break up into smaller chunks. Some will be taken away and added to an abundance of playlists while others will be left in the cold. To address Talk Talk as a unit for a moment, it feels a little hit and miss, slightly haphazard, a collection of singles rather than a cohesive entity. Though ERA will stick with us for a long time.
Rating: 7/10
Talk Talk is out now via BMG.
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