The Fray were among the first of the flood of bands that combined the influence of British neo-stadium acts like Coldplay and Keane, the retro-AOR bands of the mid-'90s -- chief among them Counting Crows and the Wallflowers -- and American emo-pop bands like Something Corporate and Jimmy Eat World. The Denver four-piece has the requisite piano and flag-waving choruses of the Brits, the slick sound and unfailing conservatism of the AOR bands, and the over-emoted vocals and confessional nature that are cornerstones of emo. All the songs on their debut, How to Save a Life, sound almost exactly alike and also exactly like you would expect -- sincere, melodic, authentic, and bereft of anything surprising or exciting. This doesn't make for the kind of record that people will want to listen to over and over again but for modern rock, it isn't half-bad. A couple of songs, like "Over My Head (Cable Car)" and "Dead Wrong," might even sound good in the background of a WB teen drama. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
I agree. They're awesome... and i listen to this cd over and over and over again... every songs is great. This is a bias characterization, and should be more fact based rather than opinion based.
This characterization sounds a bit off...I would argue that How to Save a Life IS an album that you can listen to again and again, and I would also argue that each song sounds different. It's such a great album, and the Fray is an amazing band.
::sigh:: I wish Pandora was enabled with spell check. I love Coldplay and Keane, but the Fray seems to be hit or miss for me, though they are closer to home. :)
Beleive me when I say EVERY song has been written from the heart, a story behind it from a very deep place. Overplay on radio is the biggest killer to any decent song orgroup. But think back to the FIRST time you heard "How to Save a Life". Haven't we all been there? Just wait for whats to come!
I think i'm gonna have to go with everyone else and disagree with good old Tim Sendra on this one. I actually can listen and not get bored. This is a great album and i also agree with Zig, the singles did kind of get old. But, the rest of the album is great too.
UM this section is supposed to be ABOUT the ALBUM not opinions
""This doesn't make for the kind of record that people will want to listen to over and over again but for modern rock, it isn't half-bad. A couple of songs, like "Over My Head (Cable Car)" and "Dead Wrong," might even sound good in the background of a WB teen drama. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide""
What is this crap... thats not a description of the album at all its a bunch of opinionated crap.
I also disagree with the write up from this Tim Sendra... excellent album, I enjoyed it more and more after multiple listens. I am kind of tired of the "singles" as they have been overplayed on our mainstream radio stations.
I disagree with the write up. This cd is very soft but not boring. I don't think they all sound the same at all. I ended up liking almost every song on it too.