SCOPE AND SOUND TRANSCEND ALL PREVIOUS WORK
Perhaps it’s the
continued focus and experience of longtime members Jessy Ribordy,
Jeremy Miller and Josh Shroy. Then again, it might be the addition of
new guitarist Daniel Hudleston. Even yet, Casey Crescenzo’s production
work might provide an answer. Any way you slice it, the ambitious bite
of
Fangs swallows anything Falling Up has ever released.
Think
slight shades of Coheed and Cambria here in terms of weight and
concept. Of course, the Falling Up foursome doesn’t take it to such
epic or progressive levels, but songs (and titles) like “Lotus and the
Langourous” and “Goddess of the Dayspring, Am I” certainly warrant such
comparisons. The former is the album’s linchpin, an early synth-driven
sign that Falling Up is rewriting its future.
Almost every track
holds a haunting, heavier feel than past efforts. Even the slower
“Magician Reversed” reveals a labored build, while Ribordy’s tenor
perfectly soars above the harmonies. “The King’s Garden” breaks up the
album with an acoustic arrangement, but even that’s been reworked in
production, lasting long enough to cast its spell before disappearing
into the album’s second half. “Panic and Geo-Primaries” then provides
the most beautiful moment on
Fangs with an absolutely stunning keys/percussion arrangement.
“Swimming
Towards Propellers” closes a complete listening experience, a rarity in
today’s A.D.D. market. The maturity and scope displayed on
Fangs will captivate those who devour the complete experience. Falling Up may have given us 2009’s first great Christian album. —
Matt Conner
