It’s easy as all hell to describe the new record from the up-n-comin’ Canadian band Faunts. Simply imagine the sound of British-dream-poppers, Monster Movie, and then marry it with the work of the now defunct New-Wave-Retro-Futurist outfit known simply as my favorite. The combination of these two bands is all you need to approximate the audio experience of “Feel.Love.Thinking.Of.” But statistically speaking, no one reading this paper has listened to both bands, so I’ll try and rephrase the recipe.
Start out with “Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark” for suicidal synth-pop beats and echoy/floaty/barely-discernible vocals. “It Hurts me All the Time” is the best example of this depressed electronic-lineage with its swelling synthesizers and down-in-the-dumps lyrics: “you could never love me / the sky is dark above me / your shadow lurking in my mind / and it hurts me all the time.” Add in some sporadic flavorings of Radiohead, as in “Alarms/Lights” featuring Thom Yorke inflection, and prog-electrics. Sprinkle in some Johny Marr-ish guitar work throughout (before Modest Mouse obviously). Finally, arrange a few numbers (such as “Lights are Always On”) in the style of M83: elevating noise that slowly convinces the listener that he is drowning.
Then again, you might hear something completely different. Most people I’ve talked to enjoy “Feel.Love.Thinking.Of.” when they hear it. But they all seem to perceive it as a different record with different influences. I suppose it’s a bit like a musical inkblot, wherein every listener hears something specific to her own disposition and mental back catalog. Case in point: For no reason I can think of, the press alternates between classifying Faunts as either post-rock and/or ambient. I’m inclined to disagree with this, since I do like this record and I’d rather have my face gnawed off by an opossum than listen to more ambient post-rock (although the omission of instrumental, “Das Malefitz” would make my argument much more compelling). I’ve heard some people say it’s the best record so far this year. I’ve also heard some people say it sounds a lot like the Postal Service. These Venn diagrams overlap more than you might hope.
Truth time: just for a moment during “Input” I was reminded of Jars of Clay. Don’t get all pissy now, it doesn’t really sound anything like that, but I was reminded of how it felt to be Jesse Bo circa 1997, listening to Jars of Clay in the middle of a school night, right when I was really into them. Just to reiterate, this is something that means a lot to me and absolutly nothing to anyone else. It’s a feeling, not an objective sonic evaluation. In fact, maybe this Faunts Record doesn’t sound anything like Monster Movie or my favorite. Maybe the reason it sounds like so many things I’ve loved over the years is because it reminds me of what I love about music itself. So do me a favor: Just listen to the first track, the title track, “Feel.Love.Thinking.Of.” I think you might like it. But I can’t really tell you what it sounds like.