Fake Problems - How Far Our Bodies Go

LABEL:

Sabot

GENRE:

Folk/Punk

RELEASE:

April 24, 2007

LENGTH:

35 min 49 sec

RATING:

Usually when people refer to folk-punk, I imagine they're thinking about artists like Flogging Molly or Billy Bragg. You know, bands with folk roots that are categorized as or associated with punk rock. Currently, Against Me! comes to mind, which is quite a coincidence because it was at their show in Toledo that I discovered Fake Problems. If ever there was such a band that takes folk-punk to the extreme, it's this band. With wood blocks, country guitar and what sounds like a fiddle, their style of punk rock is straight out of the old south... well, technically Florida, but it sure sounds that way. When I saw them play, they were full of energy and fun to watch, so I figured their latest album would be a blast. In reality, that turned out to be an overstatement, but only slightly.

How Far Our Bodies Go is not quite as energetic as the band's live show, but it could just be that they played songs from previous albums that happened to be like that. The songs that I recognized the best from the set were '"To Repel Ghosts," due to its memorable chorus, chanting "we're afraid of the dark," and "Born & Raised," an interesting retrospective on growing up and not serving the military or going to college. Other notable tracks include, "Maestro of This Rebellious Symphony," "Heck Yeah Summer!," and "Crest on the Chest". These songs are fun to listen to, but some of the slower tracks, while not particularly long, don't possess the necessary memorable melodies that make such songs successful. As a result, you find yourself wishing that there were more songs to dance to (hoedown style, that is).

One of the problems this album faces is that the vocals are relatively undeveloped, which is most likely due to how young the band is. The singer isn't bad at what he does, but there are short moments, however dispersed, where you feel he might be slightly tone-deaf. Then again, this is supposed to be folk-punk, right? There's a good chance that it's done on purpose, but I get the feeling that, with time and experience, future albums will sound a lot better. Also, for a full-length, it's relatively short, which wouldn't be factor if every song was memorable. What it lacks in quantity and in some areas, quality, it makes up for in originality and fun factor. It's enjoyable enough that I've listened to it quite a bit and while it's not going to be one of my top picks of the year, How Far Our Bodies Go is a clear indication that Fake Problems could easily create such an album in the future, once they get the bugs worked out. Personally, I can't wait.