Fairfax – Light These Dreams

I remember when Steel Train was first getting promoted hard by Drive-Thru Records, and Stefanie Reines, the co-owner, sent out a newsletter comparing the band to The Beatles. This got them a lot of press, but not good press because you can’t compare a band to The Beatles, you just can’t. Even though I’m not a huge fan of The Beatles, I know no band will ever be able to make the impact they did. So as I read through Fairfax‘s bio, I was surprised to see them pull references to lead singer Dave Kiesel growing up on The Beatles two times in the first two paragraphs. They didn’t say “Fairfax is like The Beatles“, but the implications was there; that is a hard quote to back up and Fairfax fail to do so.

Fairfax are nowhere near Beatles standard, then are your basic pop-punk band. Catchy hooks, whiny vocals, nothing too captivating. As I listen to this, I can’t help but recall what I wrote for Drake Equation‘s new CD: “They have some songs which fall below your radar, you don’t notice them, they are filler and just play by without actually being heard. Then, they have some songs which jump out over your radar, ones which you play over and over and over again.” This can also be said for Light These Dreams by Fairfax. Unfortunately, there are more filler then there are solid songs on here. Sure, songs likeA Night Like This, Oxygen, Counting Down To Midnight and Losing Control stand out for various reasons, but that’s not enough to propel the album forward. Take the last minute of Oxygen, here Keisel and Josh Cochran trade off vocals and it sounds amazing. They put lots of energy into it, turning the whiny vocals into harsh, croaky, nasally ones. They just have more power in them, which is something that’s lacking in other aspects of the album. Like in Hail Of Shrapnel, they start it off strong, but as soon as the vocals come in, they slow it down to accommodate the vocals; which are in great need a kick to get them going.

They do succeed in closing the album off well with the sing along ballard Losing Control. The soft, slow melody catches you, bringing great comparisons to bands like For Felix and The Starting Line. But other then a few spots scattered around the rest of the ten track album, most of Light These Dreams falls below your radar.