Further Seems Forever

Item: The Moon Is Down
Author: David O.

The Moon Is Down

(2001)

Reviewed by David O.

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Tooth & Nail RecordsReAL Magazine2001

alternative rock emo post-hardcore

I don't like "emo." I've never really known what it is exactly, but I tend to associate the term with bands that blend complex yet bland guitar parts with uninteresting scratchy vocals and dynamics that constantly shift from quiet (sad) to loud (still sad, but louder). Emo pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate have always stood above other emo bands because of the pop sensibility that subtly underlies their records. Further Seems Forever should take note of this, as their record is full of forgettable, average, typically emo tunes.

The Moon is Down is the Florida band's first release on Tooth and Nail Records and finds them trying a little too hard. Sure, the album rocks and is "emotionally charged," but unfortunately these alone do not make for good songs. Good songs are (obviously) interesting to listen to and flow naturally. Though the band is very talented, most of the songs on this record contain too many unnatural jerks--awkward transitions that distract the listener and pull him or her from the song.

Songs like 'The Bradley,' 'Monachetti,' and 'Madison Prep,' just to name a few, are bogged down by these awkward transitions. Though these tangents allow the band to exercise its musical chops, the songs often become uninteresting and hard to follow. They also make writing melodic vocal lines difficult. Songs like 'Snowbirds and Townies' and 'Madison Prep' begin with solid melodies during the verses. Unfortunately, as the songs progress the melodies disappear and take a long time to return, as the band launches into one unnecessary tangent after another. As the music grows more complex the vocal lines become more uninteresting. Bands like Fugazi and Sunny Day Real Estate have mastered this, and while FSF at times sounds a little like both of them, they have yet to synthesize both innovative playing with catchy vocal lines and guitar hooks.

There is hope for the band, as The Moon is Down does have its moments. The title track is very good and has a great chorus. 'Snowbirds and Townies' is also good, despite its ramblings. Chris Carrabba, the former singer of the group (he left the band after recording Moon) sings and yells well without ripping anybody off. It's a shame he doesn't have better vocal lines to highlight his instrument.

The lyrics on this record seem to deal primarily with longing, which is always appropriate, as life is essentially longing. 'Snowbirds and Townies' seems to be about frustration over the loss of a relationship: "And longing after spring has sprung / And they fly north when winter's done / And we get burned in summer's sun." 'Pictures of Shorelines' also expresses desire and contains the appropriate lines, "And sometimes we don't say a thing for a long while / And the ships off shore hold stories that we'd make / And sometimes we are held at bay by these miles / But less of you is more than I can take." Though there are a few lyrics that are vague, and rhymes are occasionally forced, overall the lyrics are intriguing, and songs are consistent to one theme within themselves.

FSF does have potential. Every member of the band is very good and capable of making fantastic music. It's just a matter of writing songs that will hook the listener instead of leaving him or her bored and/or confused. Listening to a little more Beatles and Led Zeppelin would do them some good. Catchier melodies and heavier grooves could pull this band from the mire of mediocrity they're now treading through. After all, the last thing this world needs is another sub-par emo band.