How to Save a Life

by

The Fray

Edit

...But I get the feeling we're gonna be hearing a lot of these guys very soon.

The Fray are one of those rare bands that comes along who instantly stick in your head and force you to fall in love. To best describe their style, you could say they sound like a combination between Coldplay and Jimmy Eat World. But that description simply doesn't do their music justice. You could compare them to a thousand bands, and never quite hit the nail on the head. The fact of the matter is, The Fray play pure, honest rock music with heart.

My first experience with The Fray was seeing them open up for Weezer this past July. Having not heard a single note of theirs before the concert, I had no idea what to expect. But as soon as they kicked in with the first song, "She Is" (which is also the first song here), I knew I had just discovered something very special. After the concert, I picked up a copy of "The Reason" EP (which is rather hard to come by otherwise) and listened to it twice over the ride home and I was hooked. With those seven songs and the single "Over My Head (Cable Car)" (which had an odd position on the "Stealth" soundtrack) being the only things to feast on, I was very anxious for this release. I had high hopes for this album, the kinds of hopes that were just asking to be crushed.

But one listen to this CD, just like their live show, and I was sold. Aside from the production being better than "The Reason," the overall sound and feel of "How To Save A Life" is drastically improved. The material here isn't as dark and the songs are a little more traditional. If you've heard "Over My Head" and you enjoy it, I highly recommend buying this album. Each and every song has something special, each song has an instantly memorable chorus. Any song on this album could very well be a hit single, that's how strong it is! "All At Once," "Fall Away" and the previously mentioned "She Is" and "Over My Head" are the kind of songs that will instantly suck you in. Meanwhile, the more subtle and beautiful title track and the painfully sweet ballad "Look After You" creep into your head and will have you randomly humming throughout your daily routine. "Look After You" is easily my pick as the standout song. I don't usually dig the sappy stuff, but this song has so much meaning behind it, one look at the lyrics will send shivers down your spine. But then again, a lot of The Fray's music will have that effect on you!

I hate to sound like someone who is just raving, but this is seriously the best album to come along this year. It's 100 percent heartfelt, honest and original. It's very rare that something this pure comes along. I would really be surprised if this album didn't hit and The Fray didn't go on to bigger things. "How To Save A Life" is the kind of album anyone who loves music can enjoy.

Late last year, the Fray was a band that no one seemed to have ever heard of. Through time, however, they got enough acclaim to shoot them themselves to the top of the Billboard Heatseekers chart. But now, thanks to the success of "Over My Head (Cable Car)", everyone went to check out How to Save a Life to see what this Denver-based foursome is all about.

I understand all the three-star (and the editorial) reviews that state that most of the songs sound the same, although I don't agree with them 100%. But "Over My Head" is the only song on here that really stands out, although the final two tracks ("Little House" and "Trust Me") come in at a close second and third. There are a couple of songs that don't make sense, namely "Vienna" and especially "Hundred".

Another thing is that lead singer Isaac Slade has the kind of voice that gets a little irritating for an entire album. While I don't think the guys in the Fray are quite as good as Coldplay or Keane (I love both of those bands, but damn; are those the ONLY two bands people use as comparisons any more?), How to Save a Life is still a nice album to mellow out to.

Anthony Rupert