October Fall "A Season in Hell" (Fueled by Ramen)
By Nathan Blaney
Tuesday. Mar 28, 12:17 AM
Borderline boy pop that's – dare I say it – actually enjoyable!

This is another one of those albums that, for whatever reason, I HATED when I first listened to it. Popped it out and put it aside for a couple weeks. Well, I’ve given it another chance and I can happily report that I was totally wrong the first time. This is a great collection of songs, and I don't know why I didn't hear that initially.

I was not previously familiar with October Fall’s music, so I can’t comment on how A Season in Hell relates to their other work, but I can say that everything from the musicianship, lyrical content, to the production is excellent. Very clean, but without being slick and overdone.

As far as what their music actually sounds like, I hear a lot of Weezer and The Get Up Kids, but mixed with some ‘50s rock and roll. An odd combo, and it’s probably not how the band would describe themselves, but it’s what I hear and I like it! I’m generally not a big fan of bands that use keyboards as a primary instrument – it’s ok if it appear on the occasional song – but here, it’s well integrated and used effectively. Often I find the addition of keyboards/piano to make what would have been a really rock song into a sissy boy crapfest… but that doesn’t happen on A Season in Hell. As a matter of fact, many of these songs (particularly the lead track, “Second Chances”) have a really anthemic feel: strong hooks that grab you right away and pull you in. I could see plenty of movie soundtracks drawing heavily from this album. And hey, any band brave enough to have a banjo solo gets my vote!
www.octfall.com
www.fueledbyramen.com

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Nathan Blaney

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