This writer wasn't entirely sure of the wisdom of naming your band after an Elton John song and after repeated exposure to this EP - the young Welsh quintet's second - he's still kinda nonplussed and disoriented.
Clearly, FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND have the requisite bags of youthful energy and attack, as "Four Ways To Scream Your Name" positively brims with exuberance, attitude and downright brutal rifferama. They've obviously instilled confidence in their record company, too, as the CD comes exquisitely packaged as a clear disc with intricate etching and expensive housing. This,and the band's recent talk-ups from Kerrang, Radio 1's Rockshow and their ilk suggest returns are expected here.
And, if goals are to be realised through bluster alone, then FFAF (uh-oh, that's pronounced "faff"...not a good omen) are gold medal candidates, as these four tracks seethe with the sound of the participants trying far too hard.
The worst offenders are lead track, "This Year's Most Open Heartbreak" and - to a lesser extent - "Kiss And Make Up (All Bets Are Off)". "...Open Heartbreak" is particularly irritating: drowning in a vat of putrid nu-metal, it's the sound of Lee Dorrian duffing up Fred Durst while both of them throw up their pie and mash. No, it's not pretty. It does have some semblance of a hook, but when FFAF bleat about hearing "the same old songs on the stereo" methinks they could easily be talking about themselves.
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Fortunately things improve somewhat thanks to "She Drove Me To Daytime Television" and the closing "Escape Artists Never Die". Apart from having one of this year's best song titles, the former adds some much needed light and shade to the proceedings, coming on strong somewhere between Muse and "Siamese Dream"-era Smashing Pumpkins, while "Escape Artists..." is perhaps even better, with a Rollins Band-style rumble giving way to Math-Rock tempo changes and vocalist Matt Davies proving he has a decent hard rock voice when not forced to gargle a bag of nails.
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND are clearly not lacking in either vitality or belief, but while this writer finds this EP way too quixotic (and sometimes overbearingly nu-metal) to be entirely convincing, he can see there's enough of interest to avoid reading the last rites so early at least.
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