Scars & Stories(2012) Review

The Fray's New Album Cover

The next instalment from the 2002 formed Denver based pop rock band, following the successful self-titled album The Fray in 2008-9, which plateaued them even further to the top of their game after their breakthrough album, How to Save a Life(2005-7). From my first impressions, it's easy to see that this is quite a solid album, however if one does delve into the heart of their songs further then it's easy to see that there have been a few key changes in the way that their songs have now been written and performed. The easiest to identify being the move away from Piano dominated songs. Anyone who's heard The Fray's previous album knows that in almost every song, the sound of the popular instrument can be heard very clearly, in fact sometimes even louder than the electric guitar which some people may find surprising. Either way, as mentioned by Joe King(lead guitarist, backup vocals) "It's our best record yet".

The track list for the new album is as follows: 
1. "Heartbeat"               
2. "The Fighter"               
3. "Turn Me On"               
4. "Run for Your Life"        
5. "The Wind"              
6. "1961"                             
7. "I Can Barely Say"         
8. "Munich"                      
9. "Here We Are"              
10. "48 to Go"                      
11. "Rainy Zurich"              
12. "Be Still"                           


Total Length: 44:35 


The record begins with the bands current single Heartbeat, immediately you can sense that the group has grown. The song is quite unusually upbeat, and begins with the distinct distortion sound of an electric guitar, eagerly waiting to be strummed. This song encompasses, almost country-like qualities, in which Isaac Slade's(lead singer) voice compliments greatly. He sings with an distinct American accent in all his songs, which provides the band's material with a unique flavour. This first song is a great example of how the band is constantly growing, as the bridge contains intense harmonies provided by the entire band - never have I heard harmonies like this from the band; and that wasn't the end of it, more songs throughout the record contained great ones just like it. It's amazing! It lifts the album to a whole new level. 


So what can I say about the next few songs? Well, it's definitely The Fray. They have a way of coming up with mesmerising riffs which you can't help but get stuck in your head! Another example of the phenomenal harmonies is seen in The Fighter, the piano only readily hearable during the bridge, which is a nice refreshment from the whole piece being overwhelmed the whole way through. Turn Me On, this song is quite interesting, the band members have admitted that this song is inspired by the movements of a female belly dancer they encountered while going out. This is certainly true, if you listen to the song. The refreshing running bass lines in this song, is what I think, makes it. Together with the quick upbeat drum beat, bursts of energy coming from the electric guitars and the billowing harmonies from fellow band mates. Harmonies....hmm, do you see a pattern here? I certainly do! I love that almost every song contains them, it's really something to notice in this new album. In Run for Your Life the piece begins with a constant note from the piano, a distant reminder of what the band used to sound like. The use of arpeggio riffs creates a sense of comfort in this song, combined the uplifting lyrics, and Isaac's soothing voice - it's a perfect match! 


What interests me most about 1961, is the lyrics. Slade crafted this song quite cleverly as it clearly portrays the story he had in his mind. The actual music, is on another level of it's own.
The soothing falsetto of Slade, together with his bandmates harmonies sound absolutely amazing. In fact I think it's one of the most vocal intensive albums of the album, hard to perform 100% live I'm sure! I Can Barely Say, is a classic piano ballad. In fact, I think they begin to revert to their own ways here, which is a nice for a change. The song isn't very musically intensive, as it's mostly strings, piano and Slade's voice, which again is a nice mixup. Munich is one of my personal favourites of the album, it blew my mind away! 
Rainy Zurich is in interesting song, because like Fall Away from How to Save a Life(2005) Joe King is the lead singer, whereas Slade reverts back to playing Piano and singing backup. It's a rare occurrence, but when it does happen it's quite exciting, check it out! 


Overall, I rate this album quite highly, and I can honestly say that it certainly is their best work yet. If you've liked their previous distinct Coldplay-like sound, then I can easily say that you will thoroughly enjoy this album as it appeals to a much wider audience, than they once did before. 


Rating: 4.0/5.0