Farewell Fighter - The Way We Learn
Release Date: January 18, 2011
Record Label: Unsigned
Are you starting a new semester of school? Stressed out over your new schedule and all of those internships and jobs you haven't heard back from? Are you having trouble getting back into the rhythm of your normal work week following the holidays?
Well then do I have the cure for you. Farewell Fighter's The Way We Learn EP is something of a throwback to times when you didn't have much to worry about. Back to days like senior year of high school when all you worried about was getting to school and basketball practice on time and which girl you were going to date over the summer.
Take the opening lines to standout track "Growing Pains", where vocalist Kenny Fleetwood soars. "Remember when we were young? / We got so good at being bad / We would shake responsibility so carefully / And would protect everything we had." Lyrics like those pepper The Way We Learn as Fleetwood's vocals are a definite point of emphasis. That isn't to undercut Farewell Fighter's musicianship, though.
On short opener "Well Wishing", which leads into "Growing Pains", the band flexes its muscle instrumentally for a bit. They show that even though they may not be doing anything new or strikingly special, they have the capacity to make enjoyable and entertaining instrumental portions, something that even more established pop punk groups can have trouble with.
While this band has been compared somewhat extensively to You, Me, And Everyone We Know, they're really more in the vein of perhaps a poppier Motion City Soundtrack or Taking Back Sunday, at least instrumentally. The almost-sugary vocals are the defining aspect of the group, carrying songs like the bass-centric "Terminal". The YMAEWK comparisons do come out on this EP, however, especially in "Love, Lust, Or Losing It". Fleetwood at times does show stylistic comparisons to You, Me, And Everyone We Know's Ben Leibsch, especially in his lyrical delivery.
"Where I Belong" is probably the band's most pure pop punk song, as it's faster-paced than most of the EP. One of the rare instances of gang vocals on the EP provides a great moment in this song, with the entire band chanting "Let go, let go / Don't sweat the rain / Life's not that bad today." Over a buzzing guitar line and rhythmic drums, that bridge is undoubtedly one of the highlights on The Way We Learn.
The five-and-a-half minute "Golden" proves to be the best song on the EP, however. Being the closer, Farewell Fighter makes it obvious that they're going for a bit extra on this track, and they certainly pull it off. The song starts slow enough, building slowly with well-orchestrated guitar parts to accompany Fleetwood's ever-steady vocals. The band comes into the picture in full force about halfway through the track, but then the song takes a step back, showcasing a track-over of children's voices.
The relaxed soundscape is lit up when Fleetwood comes back in, passionately belting out, "Golden / We are golden because we're alive / We are nothing without our goodbyes / Illuminate our own way from inside / We shine so bright, we shine so bright." At that moment, some well-timed gang vocals kick in, making for a more than memorable outro to the EP.
These relatively young Nashville, Tenn. pop-rockers are doing things the right way for an unsigned band. They're organized, they know what sound they're going for, and they're working their tails off to make their dreams become reality. The Way We Learn EP will be a great jump-off point for the group, and should hopefully lead to them landing some label support to get things going at an even faster pace.
Back to days like senior year of high school when all you worried about was getting to school and basketball practice on time and which girl you were going to date over the summer.
I think you underrated it a bit. The lyrics are great, definitely something I can connect with as I end high school.
Yeah after I posted my three reviews last night, I saw your review in the queue so I finally read it and I laughed because you said that it should make people feel like they're back in high school...and you're still in high school. Ha.
That was mine haha. I really miss high school sometimes, I really had nothing to do. No pressure. Lots of doing whatever I wanted and sleeping and getting really high grades haha. Oh somewhere in there I got into UF, that was important. It's important to wait until you got into college to screw around in high school.
That was mine haha. I really miss high school sometimes, I really had nothing to do. No pressure. Lots of doing whatever I wanted and sleeping and getting really high grades haha. Oh somewhere in there I got into UF, that was important. It's important to wait until you got into college to screw around in high school.
I had nothing to do either. Except I didn't spend it doing cool stuff like you. Just played video games. Which is basically all I do now. I guess college doesn't change much hhaha.
Yeah after I posted my three reviews last night, I saw your review in the queue so I finally read it and I laughed because you said that it should make people feel like they're back in high school...and you're still in high school. Ha.
I mean, I'm graduating in five months. So I've been through most of it already. And I know what it's like more than people on here, the experiences.
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