Fathers of FuryThe self-titled debut album of Alt-Rock band Fathers of Fury has a fresh feel to it. The insane guitar riffs of lead guitarist Ollie King are a major selling point to the album, along with the incredible vocals of front man Jack Straw. All of the tracks on the album where written by Jack himself, apart from ‘Animosity’ - which was a track written by Isaac Thomson – and ‘Subtle Distraction’ – which was written by Ollie King. Drummer, Freddie Johnson, had a major part in this album as well; as well as putting an incredible drum beat down behind all of the songs he also did an improvised drum solo in the song ‘Rocking the Boat’; nobody knew how that was going to turn out until the moment of recording. Another great selling point is the three live versions of the singles at the end of the album.
(s)Second Hand Rock SongsThis Second Single from FoF’s debut album is based around the idea that so many songs are ‘second hand’; this idea comes from how all bands are influenced by another bands style and that the music that they play is like a redone version of a song from their influence. The song starts with Jack Straw singing without any music. Then Isaac starts playing the rhythm guitar in the background, this starts to build up the track. Then the chorus kicks in and the drums and other two guitars start playing. In the following verses the drum beat is a quiet, yet excitable beat, which gets you ready for the chorus again. Song was written by Jack Straw
Mighty AmbitionsThis song is about how you have to aspire for something in order to get somewhere. Without any inspiration life is pointless, as you end up in a mess and going nowhere. Working for something a lot bigger than you may be able to achieve is better than not working for anything at all. This song starts with the symbols being repetitively tapped until one big strike of the guitar. This then sends the drums into an upbeat rhythm which is joined by the rhythm and bass guitars. Jack Straw’s vocals then power through just before a massive guitar riff by Ollie King. The chorus is basically Jack Straw singing the words mighty ambitions twice over an intense lead guitar. Song was written by Jack Straw.
Super BlackoutThis track has no lyrics to it other than each member of the band saying Super Blackout at some point during the song. The track starts very quietly with just the bass playing. Then after a minute Jack Straw says “Super Blackout”; and then Isaac Thomson kicks in with the rhythm – so now it is the bass and rhythm playing – and after another minute Isaac says “Super Blackout”. This then triggers Freddie Johnson’s drums. He joins the playing and then says “Super Blackout” after yet another minute. Finally all four band members are playing together until they all stop and Ollie King finishes the song by saying “Super Blackout”
(s)Fairground DoubtsThe Third Single from FoF’s debut album is based around the idea of being unsure about how to go to the next level. The phrase ‘Fairground doubts’ comes from the idea that when you are at a fair there is a lot to do and you can go anywhere and do anything, but then when it comes to winning the prize you freeze and can’t do it. The song is based on a personal experience from Jack Straw – but it is an experience that almost all people will get at some point in their lives. The song starts with a steady drum beat and the base and rhythm playing at the same time. There is an occasional strum from Ollie King’s guitar every 5-10 seconds for the first 45 seconds then he starts playing properly. Jack Straw’s vocals start after Ollie King’s third strum. The song has no verbal chorus but instead has instrumental breaks that are made to represent you plucking up the courage to try and take the next step. This is represented by the drum beat in the background, which gradually gets quicker throughout those instrumental breaks. This song was written by Jack Straw.
Supernatural ScandalsSupernatural Scandals is basically about crimes that have never been solved; and how the perpetrator cannot be human to have caused that much damage and pain – and then for them to disappear also is unhuman. The song starts with a bang on the drum. Then 5 seconds of silence follows; which is then followed by another bang on the drum. 4 second of silence after that, there is a third bang on the drum. This continues until there are two bangs of the drum directly after one another. This then leads Freddie Johnson to spurt his drumming into a much quicker pace. At this stage the lead guitar starts playing a very high pitch sound over the top with the base and rhythm keeping up a quick sound below it. The chorus is a very loud and angry sound with Jack Straw almost shouting rather than singing. The song was written by Jack Straw.
(s)Subtle DistractionsThe First Single from FoF’s debut album is about the craziness of life, and how sometimes even the smallest things can catch your attention and take you to a whole different place. The inspiration for this song came when Ollie King’s girlfriend broke up with him, and everything reminded him of her. The song starts with the rhythm guitar starting up a tidy rhythm. Then the bass and the drums kick in and the song goes crazy. The rhythm guitar stays exactly the same the whole way through – this is to signify the idea of that thing that you are reminded of. During the chorus the lead guitar joins in with the rhythm and plays exactly the same tune – this signifies the moments when you are reminded of them. The line ‘Subtle Distraction’ is just a line from a verse, rather than being part of the chorus. This song was written by Ollie King.
Abstract EmotionsThis song is about being unsure of what is going on and how people feel about you – and how you feel about them. The inspiration for the song came from a personal experience of all of the band members. The song starts off with the lone lead guitar playing a little riff that Ollie King cooked up one day in the shower. Following this is the main body of the track, with a heavy beat behind the track and Isaac Thomson actually taking over the lead guitar part way through – and then playing a killer solo between the second and third chorus. The song ends with the guitar riff that started it but gradually getting quieter and fading away. This song was written by Jack Straw – with influences from the others.
On a Knife EdgeThis track is written about those moments when you have said something very risky, and you don’t know which way it could go. The song starts in full swing with the guitars all blaring away over an intense drum beat. As the chorus approaches the drum beat becomes louder and more obvious and then leading into the chorus Freddie Johnson rapidly beats his drums in quick succession. The chorus is mainly focussed on the vocals of Jack Straw, with the underlying lead guitar being played with immense skill. To end the song it all goes quiet and Jack Straw sings the final lyrics to the song “Now I’m On a Knife Edge”. Then Freddie Johnson hits the symbols but quickly stops them. The song was written by Jack Straw.
AnimosityThis song was written by Isaac Thomson. The inspiration from the song comes from his teenage years. The past had been haunting him, and he felt the urge to write. This song was the result. It starts with a sensational guitar riff played by Ollie King; the riff is played twice over but during the second one the rest of the band starts to play. The symbols are used continuously throughout the song – more so than any other track on the album. During the chorus, Isaac Thomson joins in with Jack Straw which creates a very different effect from the other tracks. Leading into the third (and final) chorus Jack Straw hits a long note (vocally), and holds it through half of the chorus – this means that during the first half of the chorus Isaac Thomson is singing with nobody else. Jack Straw does join in with the second half though. The song finishes with Freddie Johnson hitting the symbols 5 times in quick succession and then a final strum of the lead guitar by Ollie King.
Rocking the BoatThis track is a bit of a fun track with an upbeat tune. The lyrics are pretty catchy which could lead the song to either being a fan favourite or hated by all. The track starts with a slow drum beat, and then after 10 seconds all of the guitars dive in. During the chorus’ Ollie King plays the guitar with some more insane skill, but the standout point of the track is the totally improvised drum solo from Freddie Johnson. The track ends with Jack Straw’s lone vocals “It’s only because I just keep rocking the boat”. The song was written by Jack Straw.
Second Hand Rock Songs [Live]A live version of ‘Second Hand Rock Songs’ performed at the Chaos Awards
Fairground Doubts [Live]A live version of ‘Fairground Doubts’ performed at the Warped! Tour 2010.
Subtle Distractions [Live]A live version of ‘Subtle Distractions’ performed at The O2 Academy, Birmingham
