A Static Lullaby -- 'Faso Latido' [review]

A Static Lullaby
"Faso Latido"
(Columbia Records)


"Tonight, this poet dies..."
-- From "Half Man, Half Shark; Equals One Complete Gentleman"


A Static Lullaby's "Faso Latido" is the musical equivalent of a band like From Autumn to Ashes turning into The Used.

While, on its surface the album is still a "screamo" alternative rock offering, the band flip-flopped on how the material was presented. On the group's first album, the impressive "...And Don't Forget to Breathe," the hard-hitting music and screamed/strained vocals were occasionally tempered with a more melodic tone and gentler presentation. On "Faso Latido," the band opted for a 180 degree shift -- now the hardcore vocals are interspersed among melodic fare that, while still strong, seems completely different from what the band's original material promised.

That is not to say A Static Lullaby are any less relevant or as good as its last outing ... just that the band moved in a different direction (think Brand New or Taking Back Sunday in reference to the musical shift).

"Faso Latido" is a solid musical outing for the band. Whether it was the production, or the band going for a more "mature" sound here, everything sounds much tighter and more streamlined.

Phil Pirrone really shines on the bass, which is much more prominent on this album. Working in tandem with Brett Dinovo on drums, the duo lays down a nice backdrop to A Static Lullaby's sound, but also manage to take center stage on occasion (most notably the drumming on "Calmer Than You Are" and the bass work on throughout "Shotgun!").

Front man Joe Brown holds his own on the album, with a moody vocal delivery the resonates more emotion than most of the bands making this type of music. He also comes across much more confident, not only in delivery, but in over all style. While on "...And Don't Forget To Breathe" the vocals seemed a mere component of the group's overall sound, here Brown actually stands tall as the band's front man.

Dan Arnold and Nathan Linderman work well together on guitar, which is where the heart of the A Static Lullaby sound lives: the more high-pitched intricate play layered over firm riffs, giving most of the songs an almost epic feel even though, for the most part, everything is clocking in around three-plus minutes.

While "Stand Up" seems to be the song generating the most buzz at the moment, it isn't the best of what "Faso Latido" has to offer. "Stand Up" is catchy enough, and probably one of the more commercially accessible tracks on the album. But it's songs like "Radio Flyer's Last Journey" or "Calmer Than You Are" that really get to the meat of what A Static Lullaby are capable of. "Calmer" would be labeled the anthem of the disc, as a layer, demonic-sounding pre-chorus gives way to a chant-worthy refrain of "We can't wait for..." The song also features the multiple vocal styles the band has to offer: the spoken word, strained vocals, screams and normal singing. "Radio Flyer's Last Journey" is chock-full of driving guitar riffs and, while they really aren't catchy enough to get stuck in your head, the whole song has just the right intangible hook to be played over and over again.

Overall, while this is a different beast from the band's first album, "Faso Latido" is a definite hit. The band took the time to grow and evolve as musicians, and changed everything enough to do so while holding the spark of its original sound.