Alcoholic Faith MissionAsk Me This
Old Flame Records [2012]
Fire Note Says: Alcoholic Faith Mission's Ask Me This, is a grower in every sense of the word!
Album Review:
Ask Me This, the new album from Alcoholic Faith Mission, was a tough sell for me. I found the album impenetrable at first, partly because I had no frame of reference for the band having no clue who they were, and partly because the music seemed to be all over the map. I also originally felt that the album had no peaks or valleys, it was all very similar....but I kept listening. There was something about the album that made me keep coming back to it. It was the unfamiliarness of it, the mystery behind who they are, and what they are singing about that kept bringing me back to it, plus the fact that I am not one to flat out dismiss something without really giving it a chance, especially if the only reason for writing it off was because I didn’t “get it”. My mission was to see if I could “get it”, and ultimately, I did, it clicked after about 5 hard listens!
What does Alcoholic Faith Mission sound like? How can I
describe to you as a reader, exactly what is going on throughout this record?
The best comparison I came up with (and it struck me suddenly) was what would
it sound like if Bon Iver sang on Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot It In People.? It would sound exactly like Ask Me This! Like those two great
artists, Alcoholic Faith Mission have a knack for singing about dark and
painful things and make them sound very pretty. The lyrics evoke a feeling in
you, even when you aren’t exactly sure what it is exactly they are about, which
reminded me of For Emma Forever Ago [2008].
The first song on the album, “Down From Here”, opens with
1:30 of an almost angelic choir which wouldn’t have been out of place on Smile,
before the music kicks in. The effect is powerful, and it’s also a bit
disorienting, which fits the entire mood of the record. Other key tracks
include “Running With Insanity”, “Reconstruct My Love”, and “Throw Us To The
Wolves”.
It’s not a perfect album by any means, it could probably use
a few more peaks and valleys for it to flow really well, but Ask Me This is a really strong grower,
and album that will keep you going back to it to try and decipher what it is
about the album that keeps pulling you back to it!
Key Tracks: "Down From Here", "Running With Insanity", "Throw Us To The Wolves"
Bands With Similar Fire:
Bon Iver
Broken Social Scene
The Antlers
Bon Iver
Broken Social Scene
The Antlers
-Reviewed by Kevin Poindexter
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