View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 3.5 (11 ratings)
- Date Released: February 19, 2008
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Label: Menlo Park Recordings / Virtual
Dreamy lo-fi artists explore the unexpected.
-
We Say...
Flying creates music from a pile of strange noises. Mangled keyboards marry stressed-out drum kits, broken electronics momentarily reanimate — all in the span of a single song. Faces of the Night hews to an "anything goes" aesthetic; jangly album opener "One-Eyed Son" builds from a simple drum beat and rusty guitar chime to a tense chorus, approaching dissonance then falling back on itself. From the funk-infused "Stains" to the bassy, effects-laden kicker "Firetruck," the album's one constant is the sweet, overlapping harmonies of Sarah Magenheimer and Eliot Krimsky. Their vocals are the most prevalent instrument, instilling the album with a dreamy atmosphere. Referencing corporate parking lots, broken hearts and burning stars, the lyrics weave together romantic images into a textural canvas that further contribute to the ethereal mood.
The album feels spontaneous, embracing the mistaken note and accidental background noise as materials in a larger hand-crafted work. The hiss of the microphone becomes an integral element. The music moves and changes, approaching breaking points, then pulling back together in a solid mass. The core of the album is built upon simple, catchy grooves, making Faces approachable to those that would otherwise be put off by its frequent experimentation. Occasionally, the songs are almost danceable -- albeit in an arms-punching-air, feet-kicking-invisible-soccer-balls sort of way. It's in these moments that Flying sneaks in eerie sound effects, or reverses directions. It's this desire to try something different that makes Faces an interesting listen. By the time the upbeat "Morning Song" closes the album, you've learned to simply settle in and anticipate whatever lies next. -
They Say...
Experimental yet cute, fantastical, and freewheeling, Flying's Faces of the Night feels like it comes "from a world that's hidden in a cloud," which they sing about on "Double-Hearted Clown." The band's whimsical sound is more focused this time than it was on Just-One-Second-Ago-Broken Eggshell, but Flying's outbursts and sweetly spacy moments still recall the Curtains and former tourmates Deerhoof, especially on "Body Bent," which pairs little-girl vocals with bashed-out rhythms. Noise rock, folk-pop, and funk are all grist for Flying's musical mill, and the wah-wah guitar on "Stains" and the loping bassline that pins down "Firetruck"'s saxophone and synth workouts make Faces of the Night occasionally feel like an extremely lysergic children's album from the '70s. Sometimes things get too precious: "A Cloud in Doubt" and "Double-Hearted Clown" are almost too sweet and fanciful for their own good. While Flying's childlike moments are sometimes a weakness, more often than not they're the band's greatest strength, particularly on some of Faces of the Night's more mysterious songs. "Fear of Flying" is a standout, condensing all the fear and hope of being someone small who wants to become someone great into just two and a half minutes. "Draw It in the Dark" owes its dreamlike haze to the immediately recognizable sound of the Optigan, and "Morning Song" just might be the cheeriest song ever written about the world's eventual end. Flying sometimes feel lost in their own elliptical orbit, but their world is charmingly strange and ultimately peaceful. Giving their music just a little more clarity wouldn't remove any of the band's mystery -- if anything, it would just add to the wonder that Faces of the Night already has in abundance.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
| 01. |  |
One-Eyed Son |
2:29 |
|
| 02. | |
A Cloud In Doubt |
2:53 |
|
| 03. | |
The Wrong Hearts |
3:02 |
|
| 04. | |
Stains |
2:21 |
|
| 05. | |
Fear Of Flying |
2:32 |
|
| 06. | |
Draw It In The Dark |
2:24 |
|
| 07. | |
Firetruck |
6:18 |
|
| 08. | |
Double-Hearted Clown |
3:15 |
|
| 09. | |
Body Bent |
2:45 |
|
| 10. | |
Poor Simone |
3:56 |
|
| 11. | |
Morning Song |
2:38 |
|
11 Total Tracks, 34:33 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Flying, check out these member playlists
Credits
- Joe Lambert - Mastering // Jessica Ruffins - Engineer // Bill Skibbe - Engineer // Sara Magenheimer - Producer // Sara Magenheimer - Performer // Sara Magenheimer - Artwork // Eliot Krimsky - Producer // Eliot Krimsky - Performer // Eben Portnoy - Producer // Eben Portnoy - Performer // Eben Portnoy - Artwork
Choose from over 6 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC