The Fray
How To Save A Life

THE REVIEW

The Fray are the new sensation made in U.S.A. of this early spring. To be honest, when you listen to them, they have very little American about them, being instead indebted to certain atmospheres belonging to that piano-sound à la Keane, which has gained many followers in these years of commercial revival of pop-rock. Just listen to the radio hit "How To Save A Life", the title track of this debut album, which could truly be an outtake from "Hopes And Fears", with its melancholic piano loop and the sweet and accommodating melody.

To be honest, however, the album's beginning is not reassuring, considering that the opener "She Is" reiterates the leitmotif of the single without the same melodic and emotional impact; it's much better with "Over My Head (Cable Car)", which is really well done and incisive, hinting at the radio potential of this star-spangled combo. After the well-known "How To Save A Life", in "All At Once" and "Fall Away" (the former a moderately upbeat piece, and the latter a somewhat melancholic ballad), the Fray finally bring out the guitar, but the result is just as overly sweet and colorless. "Heaven Forbid" starts flat but redeems itself with a nice melodic acceleration at the end, while "Look After You" unfortunately remains monotonous from start to finish. "Hundred" definitively flattens everything, as it is indeed an extremely slow and cloying piano ballad; the same goes for "Vienna", which is very boring. "Dead Wrong" slightly wakes up the listener, at least thanks to a song structure that is slightly less monotonous; the same can be said for "Little House", dominated by an interesting and finally imaginative piano loop. Unfortunately, the closing with "Trust Me" leaves a bothersome aftertaste of déjà vu.

An ultra-radio-friendly and catchy album, this "How To Save A Life" is poised to sell a good amount of copies, so the boys will have another chance to be appreciated more; something they haven't fully achieved until now, due to a debut album that is boring, quite flat, but at times perhaps enjoyable.