by Brittany Wiesner (Staff Writer)
Email: cascade.arts[at]ufv.ca
You might not know who they are, but if you do you’ll be excited to know the British band McFly has a new album that’s just been released. It’s called Above the Noise, and it’s their fifth studio album. It’s a completely new sound for the band. They started out as a punky-pop group trying to imitate a little of Blink 182 and the Beach Boys, but they’ve taken more of a pop-rock almost hip hop like twist, and it’s left something to be desired.
For fans of their music you’ll be surprised when you hear the album. If you haven’t already heard their singles “Party Girl” or “Shine a Light,” it’s extremely different from anything they’ve ever done. This album is more reminiscent of something a male version of The Saturdays might do. That’s not to say it isn’t good, it’s just different. The band collaborated on much of this album with American artists Taio Cruz, Dallas Austin and NazTokio, who are all hip hop centred artists. All of the 13 songs on the album are unique, varying in their hip hop and pop-ness. There are a couple songs which remain somewhat close to Mcfly’s old sound: “If U C Kate,” “I Need a Woman” and especially “I’ll Be Your Man,” which is a classic power-pop ballad and very reminiscent of their second album, Wonderland.
The band has done a lot of promotion for this album: creating a new website titled “Mcfly- Super City,” changing their logo to be more futuristic and even creating a 40 minute long mini film featuring the band (but only vampire versions of themselves). It’s hard not to wonder why they’ve made this change. Is to jump on the vampire/ Lady Gaga loving bandwagon that seems to be taking over the globe? Or is it because they truly feel that their musical love lies in the pop genre? Since we’ll never know the answers, we just have to accept it and come to terms with the change. The band’s heart is still there, they’re still personable and genuine, which shows through in their music. It’s easy to forget, but they are a young band who seems to be ever changing – maybe they just haven’t found their sound yet?
The album is good if you like fast tempos, catchy lyrics, hip hop and pop. They are all talented, and they are versatile enough that they can pull off their new sound; the risk they took with this new album is commendable. In the end, the fans will decide whether they like it or not. Above the Noise is currently number 4 in the charts, and considering what the current trend in music is, it will probably continue to rise. I hope this new sound will prove fruitful for the band – if it is, let’s hope it’s here to stay; if it isn’t, let’s hope they have the sense to go back to basics.
