BANDS:

Punk & Ska
80's New Wave/
Post-Punk/
College Bands
90's & Beyond
Virginia, North
Carolina, & DC

The Faithfull: Our Own Heroes
[Reason Y]

And the Lord came down to the mountain, and unto The Faithfulls lead singer Nick Nardelli, He gave the little-known 11^th Commandment:

Thou shalt create pouty punk music, in which you will honor Me by screaming lyrics like Talk some shit, throw back a couple Heinekens, and I know everything will work out right.

Ok. So their press kit says that The Faithfull is not a religious band the faith is in the music. But their website features a skeleton on a cross branded with the words One heart, one way. Its also hard to ignore the recurring biblical terms hiding out in nearly every track on Our Own Heroes:  praying, God, angels, miracles and faith, to name a few. And the bands name is The Faithfull, for Christs sake.

But ignoring the religious versus secular debate, the lyrics are well-written minus the Heinekens comment and dozens of grammatical errors in the liner notes. All eleven songs (except for the seemingly out-of-place Latin Girl, which is about a Latin girl) are filled with the theme of desperation and dissatisfaction, parlayed over the yowling of Nardelli and co. In New Pretty, the quartet seeks to find salvation through this music, fueled by nights that light never came to. The opening track, Voiceless, is easily the catchiest on the album and has evocative lyrics to boot: An open door ready to tear from its [sic] hinges/ a razor blade wind destroying your intentions.

Drinking also seems to be a problem here; the title track complains of dirty hands and beer soaked nights that lead to having to clean the shit from the porcelain. Heres hoping thats not a completely literal statement.

Besides disputing the religious references, reviews of The Faithfull also site their influences as post-hardcore bands like Fugazi and Quicksand. This is apparent in the first half of the album, especially in the aggressive though upbeat Hooray for Us. But by track six, the group has mellowed to acoustic guitar strumming in the pretty, almost delicate Shotgun. Theyre back to punk basics by the next song, but the listener is now refreshed and ready for more.

Throughout the album, the melodies are strong if not incredibly unique. Its a very listenable, accessible record. Thou should give it a try.

This album can be purchased at Reason Y Records

The Faithfull Official Website

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