Full Review: Fair – Disappearing World

Even though “Disappearing World” begins humbly, it starts the album that many have been waiting years for off with a bang. Fair is the pop/rock band from long time producer and recording engineer Aaron Sprinkle. With almost 4 years between the debut and the sophomore albums, you might expect the anticipation and expectations to fall beneath the weight, but that is about the exact opposite of what actually happens.

The thing about ‘Disappearing World’ is that it pulls out most of the stops bringing with it songs like “One Last Time” and “It’s Doubtful” that drip with charisma, as well as a exuberance not really seen on the last record. Instead of hiding behind some of the subtle hooks Sprinkle is known for, the songs swing punches that are aiming for a knock out. Of course “Take Some Risks” and “Walking In My Sleep” show a more familiar side, the side that skillfully walks the line of spitting out meaningful yet fairly predictable lyrics. For some, “Take Some Risks” will rank higher on the favorites list, but chances are those people will also prefer the band’s previous album to this one.

Besides some of the obvious stylistic changes in some songs, there are also a few deja vu moments throughout the record like towards the end of “The Escape Artist” which suddenly sounds like it morphs into a Green Day song the way the secondary vocals are sung. There is also “The Worst Of Your Wear” which Copeland’s Aaron Marsh joins the mix, lending his vocals in what is at first a little confusing to hear him in this context, but then sinks in to be an amazing addition to the song.

“Anymore” is probably the simplest song on the record yet the way “I don’t believe you anymore…” rolls off Spinkle’s tongue and down the slide created by a lone piano hits close to perfection. The varied dynamics from start to finish appearing in these songs are a welcomed addition that wasn’t missing until they are now present. Hands down a huge step up for the band in every way.

Release Date: 2/9/10
Label: Tooth & Nail Records
Buy: Amazon Mp3

Tags: disappearing world, fair

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 7th, 2010 at 2:59 pm and is filed under Full Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.