Although this band might seem off the radar on many students’ entertainment scopes, Friction Farm has a great way of bringing the hope out of any situation and bring reality back to the table. The pop-rock duet from Florida has a folk sound with Christine Stay as lead singer and bassist, and Aidan Quinn as guitarist and back-up vocalist. What you’ll find here is lots of emotion and healing. Their new album Believe is all acoustic with a few guest drummers, and contains some new songs and many that the group has been playing for a number of years.
The beginning of the album is loaded with heavy issues. The first track “Believe” touches on terrorism and hate across the world, and offers hope that “the truth will come back in style.” Continuing to further their message of peace, the track “Louisiana” showcases a man’s strength to do the best in his life that he can.
Much of the album deals with simply living life. “Whole Heart Broken” is about not asking for directions, and just letting yourself make mistakes. Learning from an experience is more important than avoiding it. A similar thread is followed in “Better Than This” which is a favorite of the band; honor your past because it could have led you to a worse place than where you are.
The second part of the album is much more upbeat than the beginning, featuring songs like “Gravity” and “Down,” also with a funky side being shown in “Washing Machine.” This half of the album seems to be of higher musical interest than the others and also features Stay more solid and less sad than on earlier tracks. These make up the best of the album, changing a bit from their usual sound.
Returning listeners will notice several returning tracks such as “Down,” “Time Runs Out,” and “Better than this.” All tracks were re-recorded for this album, with many changes, including new lyrics and new arrangements.
All the tracks are charged with emotional energy and high quality acoustics, however, the album has no replay value. Once listening to it once, possibly twice, there aren’t many songs that will bring you back to listen to the whole thing again. However, if you feel overwhelmed by life and its many obstacles, take a break and listen to “Believe.” It’s an album for peace and contemplation. Turn down the lights, fire up some incense and relax, because this disc is all about the peaceful and easy.
This album was great, and with both members having graduated from RPI, Friction Farm often returns to campus to visit and display their talents. They played Mother’s Wine Emporium last Friday, drawing a large local crowd as they usually do.
