Something Old, Something New 07.14.09: The Fray vs. The Script
Posted by Adam Battagello on 07.14.2009
The Fray and Irish popsters The Script battle it out in the final edition of Something Old, Something New before the column undergoes a face lift.
Yes as I mentioned, this will be the last article I write under the ‘Something Old, Something New' banner before my column undergoes some slight modifications to lead it into the future. Basically, my articles will now be flying under the title ‘Battle of the Bands' and, while it will be essentially the same premise as the old column, I will no longer pick bands and singles based around the ‘established/up and coming' theme, rather it will be current singles from any sort of band, so long as they have a degree of similarity. So what you'll be seeing from next week is essentially a wider scope of choices. Right? All clear? Good.
But first things first, let's get this week's face off moving.
The Fray vs The Script
For the sake of variety I've decided to shoot for a softer sound this week, going for two bands that are more than adept at making young girls weak in the knees.
The Fray, despite being on only their second album and, in my opinion, possessing a rather generic sound, seem to be skilled at producing Billboard ready piano rock for the masses. Their first album ‘How to Save a Life' has been certified two times platinum in the United States, as well as having gone platinum in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. With their second, self-titled album released earlier this year having already been certified Gold, it seems that this group is solidifying their position as the gentle men of pop-rock.
The Script, for the most part seem to be cut from the same ‘piano-ish' poppy frame as the Fray and, with the release of their first album in 2008, have met a limited degree of success on the international market. It remains to be seen however whether the band from Ireland will be capable of maintaining this momentum over time and eventually make a larger impression on the American market, or if they will fade into obscurity like so many of those one hit ‘emotional guy' performers.
So what of the singles?
The Fray- Never Say Never
Never Say Never is really what most music listeners would've come to expect from The Fray by now, slow piano building to the introduction of the rest of the band into what is once again, a ready made pop song for the masses. While I've admitted that this is generally not my scene musically, I can understand why the group has garnered a healthy sized audience amongst the mainstream music community, the track, while simple, is uplifting and positive, soaring over an impressive string section that is largely my favorite piece of the song itself.
As far as vanilla pop rock goes, The Fray lead singer Isaac Slade possesses one of the more impressive vocal sets on the market, as can be heard in his stirring falsetto at the conclusion of the track. While I felt the lyrics to the song were essentially just ‘emotion for the sake of being emotional' in that I didn't see any real depth to it, the track itself is worth listening to even if it is just to hear Slade's falsetto at the conclusion of Never Say Never.
But that's where I'm afraid I have to stop being nice in regards to this song. I did have one quite large criticism when reviewing Never Say Never. That being that the review, which I have just given, could be used for essentially ANY single by The Fray we've seen over the last several years. The band may have many strong points when it comes to writing music, but diversity really isn't one of them. The Fray don't do anything particular gruesome as a group, but at the same time it seems as if they don't really push themselves to do anything brilliant. I guess at the end of the day, they continue to sell albums despite the lack of any experimentation.
If it ain't broke don't fix it…
Moving On!
The Script- Before The Worst
While once again not my usual taste musically, I found Before the Worst easier to sit down and listen to than The Fray's single. The likely reason for this being that the music is instantly more upbeat in this track giving it a more uplifting feel as opposed to the melancholy sound of Never Say Never.
That being said, if you're going to write a track based on the subject of a failing relationship, something that has been covered countless times, you really have to offer up something innovative if you want to elevate the song above mediocrity. The Script don't really achieve this on Before The Worst, simply giving a re-telling of a story any music listener would be all to familiar with.
If this sort of group really is your thing, a suggestion of mine would be that you go for one of The Script's more successful singles, ‘Breakeven'. While this track really doesn't demonstrate what the band is capable of, I find Breakeven to be a more accurate depiction of what The Script is all about.
There can only be one!
This week, it's going to have to be the established group, The Fray. To put it simply, this track just offers more in terms of virtuosity than its counterpart this week. The elegant string arrangement and falsetto at the conclusion of the song are really the two aspects that sold me. I guess this week; the established group just brought more to the table.
And that'll do us for another week of Something Old, Something New, remember from next week forward I'll be writing under the title ‘Battle of The Bands' and, to be honest, I am already salivating at the quality options I'll have to pick from. Must. Control. Self.
