Release Date: July 26, 2011
Under the biography on the band’s Twitter page, Fair Ohs describe themselves as “like Paul Simon but… you know… punk.” Right. Part Simon & Garfunkel, part Ramones. Like part folk rock, part rebellious rock. It can be concluded that this description might be best taken as a joke. Neither are good comparisons for the band at all.
The sound on Fair Ohs’ new album Everything Is Dancing is one of a kind. It’s very current in the way that it sounds like the release from Wavves, that happened just a year ago. The noise is both foreign and familiar: A fun electric guitar picking sound with an Arabian twist on it. Not only is the music interesting but it’s eclectic. We don’t often get a taste of tunes like this.
It’s easy to see this album to serving as a good jam to enjoy while driving to work, when they put makeup on or as they go for a jog. The beats are fast and lively, never ceasing to pick up steam to reach the climax of every track. It makes for a mood where everything is progressive and constantly moving toward something great.
The songs work together greatly as a group. As an album, it follows the same energy from start to finish. Everything Is Dancing carries the same groove even when it slows; it just trades the pace for excitement, which is totally okay. “Baldessari” works well as an opener just as “Summer Lake” serves as the perfect final touch to a fascinating set. It’s just what becomes caught in the middle that brings down the cool qualities of Fair Ohs’ work.
The problem with every song following the same style is, at the end of the album, it leaves the listener craving something more. Everything Is Dancing is a straight 35-minute set of a lot of the same tunes set in different keys with different pitches.
Much of it could use a lift and a dash of fresh energy. The recycling of sounds, though unique, would become old if the record were listened to in repetition.
In the future, Fair Ohs might want to focus on sounding more professional. This record barely makes it as an effort taken seriously, especially as a new act, but many of the drum beats and background mixes on Everything Is Dancing are so alike that it’s easy to tell the difference in quality between them. Obviously the band didn’t create their songs using GarageBand, but sometimes it feels like they could’ve tried to get away with that in the background of some tracks.
Beachy tunes like this are always fun. It’s like a trip for the mind or a vacation for the ears. Maybe it’ll bring every person to their very own happy place. Perhaps the simplicity in the work of Fair Ohs will bring them a solid liftoff point. The connection people make with this flow of music could really take them there or it could wallow and stay on the ground.
Fair Ohs – Everything Is Dancing Tracklist:
- “Baldessari”
- “Eden Rock”
- “Colours’
- “Yah”
- “Almost Island”
- “Everything Is Dancing”
- “Helio”
- “Katasraj”
- “Marie”
- “Summer Lake”
