Brooklyn by way of Providence miniature guitar army Fang Island's second studio outing, the appropriately titled Major, finds the newly shrunken trio merrily avoiding minor keys amidst a maelstrom of metal-infused, full-hearted millennial power pop. Raw, radiant, and rambunctious, songs like "Kindergarten," "Chime Out," and "Asunder" belong in a Wes Anderson film, albeit one that inhabits an alternate universe where the fastidious auteur was weaned on '80s hair metal instead of '60s pop. Major, like the band's 2010 ...
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Brooklyn by way of Providence miniature guitar army Fang Island's second studio outing, the appropriately titled Major, finds the newly shrunken trio merrily avoiding minor keys amidst a maelstrom of metal-infused, full-hearted millennial power pop. Raw, radiant, and rambunctious, songs like "Kindergarten," "Chime Out," and "Asunder" belong in a Wes Anderson film, albeit one that inhabits an alternate universe where the fastidious auteur was weaned on '80s hair metal instead of '60s pop. Major, like the band's 2010 eponymous debut, sounds like Torche tearing through a set of Cheap Trick classics, but unlike its predecessor, the constant "oohs" and "aahs" are outweighed by actual lyrics, though brevity remains the rule of the day -- "Never Understand," with its unending refrain of "I hope I never understand" and infectious "Second Hand News"-era Fleetwood Mac gait, gets the balance just about right. Elsewhere, instrumentals "Chompers" and "Dooney Rock," the latter of which is probably one of the better bluegrass-structured hard rock jams to drop in quite some time, offer up a master class in what happens when people who actually enjoy playing together allow practice to go into the wee hours of the night, while more traditional offerings like "Sisterly" and "Seek It Out" show that the band is more than capable of holding its own amidst the congested indie rock scene of its adopted borough. Like Andrew W.K., their closest spiritual contemporary, Fang Island are here to celebrate and rejuvenate, not alienate, and they've not only got the goods, but the attitude to move them. Major feels like the coolest church service ever, devoid of dogma and ritual, and consecrated by the unholy smack of a thousand high-fives. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi
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