Pop Rock
Inspired by bands like Fountains of Wayne, Green Day, and Oasis, John Seymour is a singer/songwriter who records under the name of The Fire Apes. His brand new eleven track CD, “A Life In Letters” sounds like a professional release ready for radio to jump all over. The songs sound brilliant thanks to helping hands from Eric Bass (Shinedown), Sean O’Keefe (Fall Out Boy, Plain White T’s), and Jody Porter (Fountains of Wayne). You may have already heard some of his songs on MTV’s “The Hills” and “Parental Control”. Seymour is racking up all kinds of airplay, and one listen to this Fire Apes CD will tell you why.
The Fire Apes had me at track one, with the Cheap Trick-ish opener, “It’s Over”. Not only do we have an abundance of hooks and well-produced crunchy guitar tones, but Seymour blows us away with a tremendous vocal performance – this dude can sing. He downshifts right away into an affable power ballad with “Killing Me From Inside”, showing us up front that he’s no one-trick pony. But he quickly wakes us back up with the peppy “Hey Kate!”, which sounds as commercial as anyone can get. There is another radio-friendly ditty in the pleasant “If Things Don’t Look So Good Today”, which has a sunny AM radio feel to it. We advance to the 80s with the Cheap Trick meets The Cars feel of “Only You Could Make Me Happy”. For you younger music fans, this one is very close to Fountains of Wayne. “Lori” is another highlight and I can’t help but wonder what Kate thinks about it!
Overall, “A Life In Letters” is a modern pop rock triumph not to be missed.
iPOD-worthy: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10
The Fire Apes – Official site.
Check out the video for “It’s Over”
