divad23's Full Review: With Abandon by Chasing Furies
Chasing Furies rock my world! (Or make that rocked my world. I recently found out from a few members of Luna Halo, who are friends of the Furies, that they broke up, and lead singer Sarah Macintosh is now pursuing a solo career. Grab this CD while you can!)
I admit, I was curious about this band before even hearing anything from this album. Their version of "O Come Emmanuel" on the Happy Christmas CD back in '98 was stellar among a perplexing mix of good and terrible songs. Then a friend of mine who is usually a bit biased against female-fronted rock bands saw them at Spirit West Coast, and he was completely sold. So naturally I had to check out this CD.
Well, it took me a few listens to get into a lot of the songs, mostly due to the pacing of the album (it isn't all as upbeat and rambunctious as the radio singles might lead you to believe), but I soon fell in love with this CD. The voice of lead singer Sarah Meeker (now Macintosh - she later married the guitar player from Luna Halo) exudes passion and desperation to be close to God. Not surprising for a group of siblings (two sisters and a brother) that went through their respective stages of rebellion, only to be led back to God and find out that God had been softly calling them back all along. Themes of rebellion and surrender run through most of these songs, alongside dreamier, worshipful ballads that ponder God's love. But these are not the typical lyrics you'd find in worship songs. Sarah and her brother Joshua Meeker (who handles lead vocals on a few songs as well) wouldn't touch "trite" with a ten-foot pole. The lyrics combine with a powerful guitar attack (and some softer acoustic guitar where appropriate), as well as some atmospheric piano lines here and there, to comprise a truly unique and amazing brand of cutting-edge rock.
So what about the individual songs?
Thicker
This one opens with a sole piano and then the drums and guitar kick in just to make sure you're awake, before returning to a softer verse. The entire song ebbs and flows like this at a medium but driving tempo, and is exceptionally catchy. The lyrics are a bit obscure in this one, but I think it's a plea for a friend not to stray from God.
Throw Me
A few more piano notes and eerie sound effects lead this one off, fooling you into thinking it's a ballad, but it builds into a sweetly beautiful chorus in which the singer portrays God surrounding her like a flood - even though she has spent so much time running away and fighting her faith. This is one of my favorites on the record - absolutely captivating as the bridge transitions into the final "la dee da dees" that work surprisingly well without being cheesy.
I Would Drown
This one abruptly creeps in after the closing of the previous song. Here we get to hear Joshua take over lead vocals, though in this case they are more subtle and distorted. He paints a picture of sitting on a riverbank, watching the rains fill up the river again, making it a metaphor for God's love returning to him, and praying that he might drown in it. They evidently used this as a worship song in their church, and lyrically it is very beautiful. However, it's a bit slow for its placement on the record, and drags on a bit too long (5 and a half minutes). Still, the distortion effects throughout the song are really cool, and with a little tweaking, this song could probably be up to par with the rest of the album.
Fair Night's Longing
This is the first quiet song on the album, opening with a dreamy piano line (the piano just never gets old on this album), a programmed rhythm, and an acoustic guitar. Listening to this song, you get the feeling that Sarah is trying to explain how she feels God's presence but never quite finding the words (which I think is the idea), explaining that all she can seem to grab onto is a slight feeling like waking up from a dream. The language of "fingerprints" and "beauty marks" further paint this impression of a God that cannot be entirely explained or pinned down, but who is definitely present.
Enchanted
The first radio single - this is an awesome song! The drums announce its arrival as it kicks into an odd 7/8 rhythm and a verse that is initially a little hard to follow along with. But once you get the hang of it, it will never vacate your brain. The verses explain what it is like to be trapped in the same old routine and then have God come along and completely bring everything to life. The chorus simply states that the singer can never express enough gratitude for how her life has been changed, and the second time around she double times the lyrics while Joshua sings in the background, creating a cool vocal tapestry that is slightly reminiscent of Out of the Grey. The song then fades out with that odd rhythm again, and strains of bagpipes that give it a Cranberries-esque feel.
I Surrender
This one almost startles you with its powerful intro, and then it peters out into a soft, sparse, almost jazzy verse in a way that makes you think for a second that your tape is being eaten (until you remember you have a CD). At first this irritated me - I was expecting a fast, rocking song, and they changed it on me! But trust me, this is also one of the best. Sarah sings with some real attitude on this one about - you guessed it - surrender. After a few verses and choruses, the rhythm changes and she sings the final chorus completely a capella, making you wonder if this song has any structure whatsoever. Then - surprise! - the original driving rhythm hits you over the head, and everything makes sense. The guitar part here is just killer - it's a shame that this song got massacred so much as a radio single.
Romance Me
This one bleeds in after the previous song floats away like a UFO. Joshua takes over once again, and personally I think this is a much better ballad than "I Would Drown". I'm not sure if it's a love song to God or to a romantic partner, but in any case, the myriad of ways in which he depicts losing it all and still being happy just to have the one he loves is sweet without being sappy. The chorus finally arrives -"Romance me, dance around the room", and it's weird to hear such a pretty sentiment accompanied by another of his harder guitar lines, but it paints a picture in my mind of a couple dancing in an empty room with nothing to their name but each other. This could be an "our song" for a young couple just out of college!
Writhe for Hearing
This one takes a little while to kick in as the guitar flails around like an unsettled ghost, but finally the strum of an acoustic guitar joins it, defining a rhythm, and Sarah begins to sing. This is another of the most aggressive songs, and one of my favorites - I hear they really love to play this one live. This one is also a bit obscure lyrically, but I need those songs that I can't quite figure out on an album like this. When the full strength of the song hits midway through the verse, you will be hooked. I get the idea that it's about how we take the ones we love for granted, and we get bored and go off searching for someone or something new and exciting. The song fades out with more noise as the guitar and drums distort more and more until finally disappearing into a flood of crickets (or cicadas or something like that).
Nothing
This one opens with a more tribal rhythm and a gentle, wandering keyboard. This is a pretty simple song - "I'm nothing without You/I can't live without You", but the verses keep it from being trite as they explain how the author learned it the hard way by continually trying to survive on her own and failing. Like I said, this theme runs heavy throughout the album. Some may have tired of it by this point, but knowing how personally deep this experience has been for the band, I like hearing it from so many different angles. It's almost like the album starts becoming two or three continual themes wrapped in different musical backdrops. Some will lament that this song marks the end of the "aggressive" portion of the album, but at this point I'm ready to calm down and meditate, soaking in this message of redemption despite pushing God away.
Whisper Softly
My favorite of the slow songs on this CD. An almost medieval-sounding acoustic guitar, backed by sparse percussion, fleshes out the beautiful 3/4 time of this song. Similar to "Fair Night's Longing", this song seems to paint another dream. It ends a bit too quickly, which is a surprise given the length of some of the other songs. It seems to be from God's perspective, whispering in a lover's ear, inviting her to come take a walk in a garden. The chorus of "You are mine" is gorgeous - it's like reverse worship, an expression of how God feels about us.
Wait Forever
Probably the slowest song on this CD. It has a bit of a slow-jazz feel, again due to the piano, as well as the softly shuffling percussion. It seems to be directed to a friend who is seeking God, which echoes the sentiment of "Thicker" (in which the title of this song crops up, I might add) except that the friend is no longer pushing God away. "You have waited/But He will wait forever" is the message here, as if saying, "I can't force you to convert, but God knows exactly when you will fall in love with Him." It brings a peace amidst a Christian community that is so caught up with evangelizing their own way that they forget it's all a matter of God's timing. The song switches to 3/4 time and concludes with a nod to C.S. Lewis: "How can God see us face to face/'Til we have faces?" And with Sarah's singing, Joshua speaking softly in the background, and that slow, jazzy piano, the CD fades out. This song is a bit long, but worth it when you get the message behind it.
I would definitely say buy this CD if you are the least bit curious. Before they split up, they wereso close to being my favorite band, and nobody's had such a high honor in my world after only one album since Jars of Clay (and more recently, Earthsuit).
TRACK REVIEW SUMMARY Excellent: Enchanted, Whisper Softly, Thicker, Throw Me, I Surrender, Romance Me, Writhe for Hearing
Good: I Would Drown, Fair Night's Longing, Nothing, Wait Forever
Decent: NONE
Weak: NONE
Skippable: NONE
Website: http://www.chasingfuries.com (not very well updated)
Great Music to Play While: Mourning the breakup of a brilliant band!
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