The Farewell Bend - In Passing - CD (1998)

Labels: slowdime
Review by: Andy Malcolm

A fact, which might be meaningful to you, but is alas currently a little less useful for me, is that the Farewell Bend have 2 members of Boys Life and one member of Giants Chair in them. And whilst I have heard a sum total of one song each by those two bands, they were both good. The Farewell Bend are also good, and I have been listening to this quite a bit. Often because I’d put it on, and then have to wander off half way through for some reason. Which is annoying.

Hey there, Midwest sound. Bit of Braid in there. Bit of a few other bands, perhaps Christie Font Drive but can’t be sure exactly who, probably Giants Chair and Boys Life. Wouldn’t that be a surprise? TFB do this thing damn well mind, being at their best on their edgy and erratic, poppermost tracks like opener “Heads Down” which blends guitars that flit about a lot with a real quality chorus. Actually, today, they do sound a lot more pop than before, but don’t let that fool you. TFB slap in the wandering song structures and harder, more driving sections powered by some thumpingly loud drumming to keep you off the scent for as long as possible. When you think you’ve cottoned on to where the song is heading, like in the tuneful “Go Easy”, they suddenly slip in a slowed down and dischordant chorus. I get the feeling you could listen to the songs on here for quite a while before you memorised how the songs reacted.

Like Braid, the Farewell Bend are good for the times you want to be popped and rocked, but not in a straight up, easily predictable way. Give it a check. I look forward to hopefully seeing ’em in ’99. So long as exams don’t intervene as they have to prevent me seeing the lovely Pop Unknown, grrr.