A Sad Ride On the Line Again

Intentional or not, Favez hit on an amazingly successful formula with A Sad Ride on the Line Again, even though most would probably recognize that formula as having already been perfected by Radiohead. Still, to pass Favez off as simple imitators would be altogether deceiving, as they appear to be overall less paranoid and tense than the aforementioned trendsetters. Lead singer Chris Wicky has a definite Thom Yorke quality in his voice, as evidenced by a similar range, phrasing, and control, though the band tends to stay in the realm of pristine dreamy pop. Their sound is certainly moody, though not exactly dark, tending to fall into a rather calm meter and never delivering on the emotional climaxes that might be expected. In fact, many of the tracks start out with rather simple acoustic guitar and build up with eerie chord progressions and foreboding world-weary lyrics. The tracks flow easily into each other, making a smartly concise and cohesive, though somewhat elusive, sound. As the history of rock is built upon the contributions of those who borrowed from the work of others, Favez does a fine job crafting a distinctive, if not altogether original sound.