Farewell - Isn't It Supposed To Be Fun!? Format: Album Release Date: 4th Feb 2008 Label: Epitaph Rating: Furrowed brow he sits fumbling through the dust cased record collection, thumbing smooth the Modern Lovers record he last heard in his youth. The Decemberists poster sits redundant on the wall as he maniacally taps out the 7/15 time signature on his favourite Tool album. Lists of the ‘best use of ukulele in a postmodern rock song’ cross referenced with the ‘back history of harmonica sales’ and a dusty edition of Records and Tapes catalogue clutter the floor in front of an old, warm record player. The postman raps the door (in plain old 4/4 time) and upon opening a quaintly packed corrugated cardboard package is placed in his hands. Ripping apart an ‘amazon’ worth of pulped and pressed packaging, the carefully presented Cd goes straight from case to CD player (Hi-Fi separates of course… Better class of sound). The CD then goes from player to bin with greater speed than an MRSA infected greatest hits of Steps. “Winey vocals, plinky plonky keys and demented tele-tubbylikes on the sleeve. This isn’t music this is crappy marketing. It’s all the same these days, style over substance, pop-punk has been going downhill since the early 90’s.” To sooth the damage to his precious ears, the original vinyl pressing of Candy Apple Red is lowered to the comforting home of the slow spin decks. The crackly fuzz and favourable tempo eventually induce sleep… Farewell are not a band who our sleeping protagonist will ever understand. Their new album ‘Wasn’t This Supposed To Be Fun’ won’t get Record Collector Magazine’s bearded seen-it-alls into a tizzy, but it could probably cause £10k in damages at a house party anywhere in suburban Britain. There is something so infectious about this CD that you can see why Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion) would break the mould to sign them to the great bastion of modern punk bands, Epitaph records. It is a guaranteed funtime collection of songs that are robustly constructed to have every neuron fire in your happy little head. The production attaches the fairly simplistic guitar and keys combo together, with enough depth to allow for repeat listens. There are silences that just scream with expectation for the next fill of rollercoaster guitar chords blood quickening drum beats and ‘sing-along-at-home’ gang vocals all in exactly the right places. New Found Glory, the kings of saccharine pop punk may well have just met their match. Whilst Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy and Hello Goodbye, feign to be a ‘rock’ band, it is great to just numb the analytics and have a little party in this bands Day-Glo world. Enjoyable in the headphones on the long walk to work, or blazing out of a hastily assembled PA, this is an absolutely winning record. It came as quite a surprise to enjoy this record, but enjoy we bloody well did. Pass the White Lightening, we’re starting to feel giddy!

Written by: David