Michael Rose
The Fallows – we’ve all had to endure bands just like them. Mostly found in a hearty and cosy Great British countryside pub enjoyed by a variety of beer drinkers throwing their pints back as they stomp their feet to the sound of the music – yet there is something about this Coventry four-piece that stands much taller than all of that.
With a primary folk sound entwined with a delightful indie element, The Fallows’ debut album ‘Face The Wolves’ provides a more professional and polished sound to that of what you’d expect of the once-a-week open mic night participants that we have all experienced perhaps one too many times, while maintaining (and perhaps even developing) the heart-warming sound we are all well accustomed to.
While tracks such as ‘We Are The Hunted’, ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ and ‘Front Row’ delightfully encourage a traditional great British knees up that the strongest of musical characters would do well to resist, The Fallows still manage a touching sense of reflection and nostalgia within ‘One By One’ and ‘Break My Bones’ – conjuring a considerably more personal sound whose roots will dig to a much deeper and darker level compared to anything else we may be hearing from the world of folk music.
Despite such a uniquely heightened sense of involvement, ‘Face The Wolves’ does (with regret) fail in creating a sound suitable for any venue and/or audience other than that of a dingy village pub. While depth is provided here to a certain extent, it is impossible to ignore the haunting idea that a certain ingredient may be missing – leading us to believe that they may simply only be enjoyed from the confines of the environment from which they have been born.
That is not to say however that ‘Face The Wolves’ is something we should be letting ourselves miss out on. As a formidable contender against anything else of its kind, overall The Fallows provide a genuine, totally enjoyable sound that will undeniably involve you on every possible level from beginning to end.
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