Clairmel

Fairweather Fan (2000)

meleikana

I will pretty much buy whatever NO IDEA puts out. They are great at deciding who are carbon copies of bands and who are the real deal. I trust in their judgement and I often put in over $100 orders just to get their latest releases.

They pretty much have the monopoly on post-hardcore as well. HWM, SBB, and PMFS. ALthough the afore mentioned bands are nothing less than phenomnal, Clairmel's catologue stands out.

Take early 90's indie-rock (a little sloppy and loose) and add the edgy, fast gritty hardcore sound FL is known for and you get Clairmel.

"Fairweather Fan," is no exception. A very loud sludgy guitar sound and drummer that loves his rolls are the highlights. Great hooks, dissonance and plain ole' punk rock are the record's highlights.

The vocals can't decide whether they're powerful and strong or reserved and melodic. Often times, the result is refreshing. The inconsistency of the vocals gets to be an annoying aspect by the track seven.

Even worse that, the album has no segue at all. It seems as though Clairmel threw together some songs in no particular order and far worse than that, there is no unifying theme, a quality that can often save a musically bland release.

By track 12, you're tired. You are irritated by the overused guitar sludge, even the once-impressing drum rolls get annoying.

Hang on, there's a track 13. It's "Boots and Bra's," the 10 minute highlight cut off of the band's 7" of the same name.

Although tracks 4-12 sound like one big song, and the mixing is not up to par, No Idea showcases their skills of putting out records people want by making the packaging on "Fairweather Fan" near perfect.

By the way, this pressing of the CD is out of print, so by the time the next pressing is out, you will probably have forgotten about this review, but if anything at all, remember that this album is one worth having.