SINGLE REVIEW: FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND – KICKING AND SCREAMING

Join Us Records – 29th Sept 2008 – CD, 7” & Download

For Funeral for a Friends early fans yearning for a return to their screaming post hardcore roots the title of the Welsh Rockers next single may be a little misleading. So let’s get this straight from the start. Although the guitars of Roberts and Smith have certainly rediscovered some of their beef since the overtly mainstream offerings that came from 2007’s Tales Don’t Tell Themselves there’s none of that trademark screaming present here. Instead Matt Davies’ vocals appear flattened by a one dimensional melody, as he struggles bravely to deliver lyrical platitudes such as “the grass is greener on the other side” with enough vigour to pass them off as actual sentiment.

What there is however, is a reasonably gruff riff, that virtually survives the mauling thrown at it by the tracks edgeless production, a rolling toe-tapper of a bassline, and a vaguely Foo Fighter-esque aura that presumably goes some way to signifying the bands intended direction on the fourth LP, from which this single is taken. It’s probably a logical route to take, but one that will only really work with better lyrical content and rawer production values than this.

Reviewed by WINSTON’S ZEN for AltSounds