After a relatively successful first attempt with St Jude, The Courteeners follow it up with an uninspiring effort, Falcon. Where their debut had an endearing quality and catchy indie-pop tunes, this is lacking energy and originality. The record may well become a commercial success but the lyrics especially seem forced and a poor imitation of many other songwriters past and present.
The Courteeners have the bravado and the image but fail to produce well crafted original music. Lyrically, Liam Fray seems to rely on clichés and standard themes run through the songs. Where better to emphasise this point than with the first track, ‘The Opener.’ Do you see what they’ve done there? The melody of the song is pleasant enough but it is the words which lack any craft as he discusses life on the road, it seems almost lazy- I was made for this place and I was made for you, shows a real lack of imagination. Fray’s commitment to his home town of Manchester is apparent throughout and it is almost laughable at times, ‘I miss the city I live in but I’ve been having an affair with LA and New York and Dundee and Doncaster.’
‘Take Over The World’, without trying to be too damning, sounds suspiciously like Take That with more guitars. ‘Cross My Heart And Hope To Fly’ could easily be found on St Jude and is a bit edgier as the guitar compliments Fray’s vocals. Lead single ‘You Overdid Doll’ is next, with an electro feel and more up tempo than the majority of the album. Unfortunately this does not continue and ‘Lullaby’ highlights the over-sentimentality of the album as Fray constantly feels the need to show his sensitive side. As one track blends into another, Falcon meanders slowly through the middle section and a strong ending is needed to save a disappointing album.
‘The Rest Of The World Has Gone Home’ epitomises the album; references to Manchester, acoustic guitar and uninspiring lyrics, ‘I’ll be minding your drink as you go to the RBS cash machine/Don’t sniff keep it clean.’ ‘Scratch Your Name Upon My Lips’ attempts to lift the tempo but Fray’s unusually deep and dull vocals don’t help the track. Final song ‘Will It Be This Way Forever?’ starts with a dramatic burst of strings but is littered with more uninspiring words to accompany the music, ‘A bicycle shop at the end of the road/A Chinese chippy to ease the load.’
While Manchester has produced many fine bands over the years, The Courteeners seem to be trying to take bits from many of them but at the expense of creating their own unique sound. They lack the subtlety of Elbow, the imagination of The Smiths and the excitement of Oasis. Fray wrote most of the album sat at his piano and built up the sound through playing with the rest of the band but the tempo of the album is too slow. He seems to be trying to write indie anthems for the masses and come the summer festivals, no doubt after several beers, these tunes will be lapped up but, overall, Falcon is a disappointment.
Posted In Album Reviews, Mar 05 2010.
Words - Richard