Like 80% of the posts about their most recent albums are about how bad they are and I think they're better than most of their pre-hiatus stuff.
I liked my FOB playing instruments and not writing electronic pop songs. Some of the songs I hear I wonder how they play live without samples
What three tracks do you like? I've been really into like 4-5 of the new ones which is more I got from Fading West and about what I got from Vice Verses.
I went into this thinking "how close can this be?" but man...that piano is really similar and her vocal melody pretty much matches the violins. I wouldn't think they would do this on purpose and is anything more than a coincidence. I remember on one of their making of the album DVDs you get with the the cd, it showed that Sean writes his parts with some friends who also play strings. Maybe one of them was influenced by that song? It could be one of a million things.
I definitely agree that they're better than the first two albums. Folie is easily their best imo. I just dont like the band nearly as much as lot of users on here
It's really good. I didn't appreciate it fully when it came out, but I love that record now. It feels fresh every time I listen to it, and there's not a second of it I don't enjoy.
Folie's my favourite too and I don't love the band either. I think the two most recent albums are solid though and don't think they're nearly as bad as people make out.
They're still playing instruments, sampling and electronics take just as much skill, if not more, than playing guitar chords and drums fills. The songs sound great live, they use a sampler and a few other electronic bits to help keep that recorded sound.
Holy Water, If the house burns down. where the light shines through. The rest of it is so forgettable for me. I *loved* Hello Hurricane.
I love Hello Hurricane a lot. Probably my second favorite from them behind TBL (which is only number 1 probably for sentimental reasons since it is almost certainly my most played record ever and the first album i ever bought with my own money). I think the one's I liked a lot were Where the Light Shines Through, I Won't Let You Go, Live It Well, Looking for America (I just like how unique and timely it is, even if it's kind of a mess musically), and Hope is the Anthem. I enjoyed that record more that I thought I would
Well 2 things, first having a piece sampled while playing does not take as much skill as actually playing anything (unless that's not what you meant to say). Second, not liking their new songs I've never seen them live. I just watched the live versions of Centuries and Uma Thurman and they without a doubt sound so much better live. You can actually hear guitar! I'm impressed. It's a shame they record them all electronic.
It may not take as much skill to play a sample live but usually they're still playing their instruments as well as having samples backing them up. I think the point was that making a song using samples and electronic instruments takes just as much skill as making one with guitars and drums.
As a non musician I can only guess. I wouldn't say doing electronic music is not talented, but it seems like a one person thing as compared to the full band writing the song. I remember the first time I heard that Light em Up song, I thought "How did they get together and jam this song out in a room, it seems so manufactured." Maybe I'm just old. Excuse me, I need to go yell at some kids skateboarding on my sidewalk.
As a musician that can do both I can assure you that sampling and the use of synths and electronics is just as challenging, organic, and skillful has using guitars drums and bass. All 4 members of FOB have said that these last two records were more a band project than just a Pete and Patrick project and I think that's important. Sampling requires a creativity and skill that something like a guitar just doesn't have. Saying electronic music takes no skill when you don't understand it is asinine.
I remember a concert during the WYTTSY era where they played Hollywood Died. Ryan went on a whole rant about how they were going to use electronics "THIS ONE TIME" so the orchestral parts of the song sounded the way they should. That sure escalated quickly. Lol.
They did the same thing when I saw them touring Southern Air. He said something similar to the above as well as "Sean wrote the music on the album so it's still him playing it". I get why he had to explain it though, so they wouldn't get roped in with artists that lip sync or don't play their instruments.
I feel like it was a nice courtesy. I have been turned off before from hearing instruments or vocals that weren't really being played. Why take that chance with your audience who is there for a live show, not a prerecorded one. Not everyone is really into music like the people on here, so I can see why general audiences could see it that way.