If you are in the mood for some modern power pop, you really just can’t go wrong with Farrah. Farrah hails from the UK and consists of Jez Ashurst (vocals, guitar), Andy Campbell (guitar, keyboards and vocals), Michelle Margherita (bass, vocals), and Dana Myzer (drums, vocals). You’ll notice everyone contributes vocals, so you can bet there are plenty of harmonies to go around on a Farrah album…their latest self-titled effort being no exception.
Lead off track “Swings and Roundabouts” - a reference to how to life works - marches right into your memory with a happy go lucky piano line before swinging full blast into an irresistible Beatles-esque jam. The quartet delivers another winner with the lyrically smart “Stereotypes”, a nod to their Jason Falkner worship. “Scarborough” is a breezy, folky number that reminds me a lot of Fountains of Wayne’s “Valley Winter Song”. “DNA” is an amusing piece that wonders how emotions can arise from mere organic matter – a biologist’s wedding song, perhaps. Michelle takes charge of the vocal duties on “Got The Best Of Me”, providing a refreshing change of pace mid-record. But a string of four consecutive knockouts follows, including “If You Were Mine”, “Missed The Boat”, “Wasting Time” (the best of the slower tracks on the record), and “Just Driving”, which features the type of 80s-styled harmonies you might hear in a Jimmy Eat World tune. The tail end of the record fizzles just a bit, but this is largely due to the fact that it follows an oasis of particularly strong songs.
Farrah is for fans of Fountains of Wayne, Owsley, and Jason Falkner. Don’t miss out on these unsung heroes (and heroine) of modern powerpop!
iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9
Farrah on MySpace. Official site.
Check out the video for “Swings and Roundabouts”:
