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The Rumour Said Fire

Dead Ends

Written by: TAJ on 28/10/2012 22:54:12

Danish (prior) indie folk influenced rockers The Rumour Said Fire (TRSF) who almost exploded out of nowhere in 2009 with their captivating hits “the Balcony” and “Sentimentally Falling”, are ready with their second full length album. I insert prior as the band seems to have downplayed their otherwise trademark folk parts and ventured down new paths of inspiration. On “Dead Ends” TRSF have embraced the nowadays popular use of synth on the indie scene . For inspiration on this matter they have undoubtedly glanced at the British 80 synths/dreampop wave, lileky groups like The Cure, Depeche Mode etc .

As a result TRSF have incorporated a gentle synth throughout nearly the whole record, accompanied by playful light guitars. Also, Frontman Jesper Lidang's characteristic vocals are used in a newly manner. Previously standing out clearly he is now merged into a deeper sound scape. Noticeably, the voice itself which used to contain a spark of sentimentalism or uncertainty on their EP, have changed into having a more tranquil feel. The quickly paced acoustic guitar alongside the use of tambourine that were the essence of TRSF's folk sound are yet still to be found on “Dead Ends” (in “Dead Leaves” and “Sleep” for example) , but like the vocals these play a lesser role here, being just supporting parts of the sound scape.

Overall the idea of creating a larger soundscape and more coherent record is what “Dead Ends” is about, and the record just flows from track to track in a pleasant unhindered gliding manner. This also indicates that a lot of the songs are more or less similar to each other, making few songs memorable and easy to single out. The album also comes with strengths though, with minor implements like echoing background speech, the use of “old iconic TRSF” parts as tambourine, acoustic guitar, and in general an effort to implement slight nuances in the soundscape as it unfolds during the record, all heightening the overall listening experience of the record.

This musical alteration from TRSF's side has given “Dead Ends” a more uplifting and cheerful feeling to it. It provides an atmosphere finely ranging from songs that compel you to sit back and let your thoughts drift, to more upbeat tracks that make you want to dance around carelessly. At some times though, despite the good effort of bringing nuance into the listening experience of the album, dull moments do appear. While this is a solid album, I do find something important has been lost in the process, as old hits as “The Balcony”, “Sentimentally Falling” & “Comfort to The Dalai Lama” possess something that emotionally enthrals you in a way individual tracks of “Dead Ends” do not accomplish to the same level. All this said, “Dead Ends” is a solid album that comes in shape ready to take you on a peaceful and tranquil journey, best experienced in full length.

Download: Destroyer, Reckless Hearts, Dead Leaves.
For The Fans Of: The Horrors's "Skying", The Cure.
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Release Date 22.10.2012
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