Fair to Midland
Arrows & Anchors

Fair to Midland is one of my favorite bands. After a couple of excellent self-produced albums, it was Serj Tankian who discovered them and signed them with Serjical Strike, thanks to which they released Fables From a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times is True in 2007, which mainly contains pieces already published in inter.funda.stifle, re-recorded and often rearranged. This is a genre that finds many similarities with Progressive Rock rather than Metal, yet Fair to Midland already proves to be a versatile group open to multiple styles. Arrows & Anchors, released in 2011, is not only the first album of new material since signing with a notable label but also a radical change in genre. It's an album decidedly closer to Metal sounds, yet with many nuances, which we will delve into shortly. A highly successful genre change, I'd say, which makes the Texans much more well-known than they were before.

After the almost idyllic intro "Heavens to Murgatroyd", Fair to Midland immediately hits us with the power of "Whiskey & Ritalin", with a sound never heard in any of their other works, magnificently mixed with the typical melodies sung by Darroh. Unlike what we appreciated in Fables, from the very beginning of the album, the new importance given to riffing is emphasized, proving to be simultaneously simple to listen to and profound with the songwriting in general. It is followed by "Musical Chairs", which starts with a piano intro, continuing with a melodic and engaging verse connected to the splendid chorus, which I would even describe as liberating, through a brief bass break. "Uh-Oh" presents several crescendos and rather original drum ideas, with the talented Darroh delivering an excellent vocal performance, just like in all other tracks: disarming the nonchalance with which he repeatedly shifts to falsetto. "Amarillo Sleeps on my Pillow" is original, offering sonorities very close to Folk, spiced up with rhythm changes typical of Prog and embellished by a dark chorus emphasizing, needless to say, the versatility of the singer. Meanwhile, Cliff Campbell doesn’t miss out on a brief guitar solo. "A Loophole in Limbo" presents itself as an innovative track, possibly the most melodic on the album, a ballad filled with acoustic moments and harmonious choruses, although after a few listens, it might be the most repetitive song. Similar characteristics for "Short-Haired Tornado", connected to the previous track with the interlude "Typhoid Mary Sends Her Best", definitely better than "A Loophole in Limbo". After yet another interlude, "The Upset at Bailey Bridge", Fair to Midland throw in our face the track ready to destroy everything we thought about the style of this album: "Rikki Tikki Tavi", undoubtedly the most atypical of the album, alternating slow phases characterized by piano arpeggios and guitar harmonizations to almost Death Metal sections, with Darroh proving to be very adept at growling; the result is nothing short of surprising. Almost Alternative/Nu Metal, the intro of "Golden Parachutes", with a masterful chorus filled with background vocals and a particularly rhythmic verse. "Bright Bulbs & Sharp Tools" is not the brightest of the album, but after a few listens, it's equally memorable, also thanks to a grand performance by keyboardist Matt Langley. Fundamental importance for the electronic component in the magnificent "Coppertank Island", and then, passing through "Three Foolproof Ways to Buy the Farm", the last interlude, we reach the heavenly conclusion: "The Greener Grass". A melodic and dreamy piece of about 9 minutes, reminding us that in the end, after a thousand genre changes, a thousand experimentations, and a thousand arrangements, Fair to Midland is a Progressive Metal band. Sure, they mostly make fairly short pieces, but they are as Progressive as few others.

Arrows & Anchors is therefore a more than complete and definitely memorable album, not repetitive at all, simple to listen to but difficult to understand. Upon the first listen, it simultaneously leaves the listener bewildered and transports them to another universe, as only Fair to Midland can do. Listen to it without any prejudice because it is a real gem, which for quality stands toe to toe with their previous masterpiece (although perhaps slightly inferior).