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Fang: Somewhere Out There

Fang's second album is a bit of a surprise, a departure from the sound of their debut 'The Origin Of Species'. They've gone for a very keys-heavy, highly polished sound, and have made what is largely a pop album. There has always been a pop angle to Fang, but this is a very smooth effort, with heaps of crossover potential. The band have added former Subliminals man Steve Reay to the previously 3-piece line-up Ð a nice addition to the band's repertoire of sound. And there are sounds aplenty on 'Somewhere Out There', as Fang engage in a competition of who can play more instruments Ð with the listener being the winner. Production has intentionally gone heavy on the atmospherics, combining use of sound with space. These compositions are roomy, with interesting noises to provoke the ears. Vocal duties are shared between Ben Howe and Sonya Waters, the latter possessing a voice than can sound like Stevie Nicks or Frente at times. There are some lovely vocal melodies on this album (for example Howe's chorus on Good Idea or on Flying Through The Stars), and although there are rock numbers like Stephen and Anti Climax Girl, the album remains largely quite mellow but in an almost dark way. Out through Howe's own independent record label Arch Hill Recordings and distributed locally by FMR.

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