NJ’s indie rock veterans Fairmont return with their 11th album “Liminal Spaces”, a superb collection of 9 new songs that show the band’s continued growth and evolution in their 20th year of existence. The record starts off with the catchy “High Water Mark”, but then takes a sharp turn with “Naughty Naughty”, getting dark with a minor progression that will stick in your head for days, if not haunt you. On this track, Neil Sabatino’s distinctive voice is as menacing as I’ve ever heard it: “Maybe you’re just vicious, maybe you’re just mean, maybe your best wishes, they ain’t what they seem.” As usual the band’s dynamics and instrumentation is on point throughout the whole record. The 3rd track “Strange Tourist” pulls you out of the quicksand as soon as you think you might drown from the darkness with its catchy opening riff and pop elements. This track, as many others on the record, showcase the band’s unique ability to construct complex arrangements but keep the songs catchy, and with hooks galore. “Love Like Razorblades” is another catchy song (see video below) that will get stuck in your head, and again - with dynamics that move up, down and sideways; with stops, arpeggios, then a dual vocal attack to drive the message home. “That Sinking Feeling” gets dark again as Neil pushes his lyrics into darker spaces and his enunciation louder at parts with great effectiveness. The mix of these different emotive expressions make the record an intriguing and enjoyable listen from start to finish. It keeps you guessing. The songs all fit and make a cohesive record, but they are different enough to keep you wanting to see where the next track is going to take you. Throw in a cover of Weezer’s “The Good Life” for fun breaks the record up a bit and is well performed. The record ends with “The Devil, The Wolves, The Vampires” - another well executed merge of poppiness and introspective, dark(ish) lyrical content and feel. Overall, an impressive record by a band with incredible staying power. Don’t miss this one. Check it here, and the links below:
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Mint 400 Records
- Joe Pugsley, BMN Contributor