TFO (or The Founders Of) have released their debut album, Live Fast, Stay Young.
I checked out their album launch party at the Edge of the Wedge last night and it's safe to say, these guys love what they do.
The band consists of : Tom Soane - Vocals
Dudley Stagpool - Guitar & Vocals
Matt Gudgeon - Bass
Mike Hartley - Drums
Jonny Hoskins - Guitar
The music is described as “an energetic mix of rock, punk and indie with a hint of ska for good measure”.
The album consists of 11 tracks, all written by the band themselves.
1. Ransom - A slow & steady start to this song and the album, showcasing the bands ability with their instruments and musical talents. The speed of the chorus is a nice change in tempo without speeding up too much to drop back into the verses slower rhythm section. The end is a great mash up of fast guitars and speedy drumming. A good start to the album and already gives off a vibe that this band are creating a music style of their very own.
2. Alright Now - This is my favourite TFO song and a lot of that is because of the bouncy intro/riff that lets you know that this song is going to be a lot of fun. It definitely helps give TFO the title of 'pioneers of Jump Rock'. The lyric 'TFO on a journey now, we ain't never gonna let you down', is a solid pledge that these guys want to do this for a long time to come.
3. Take It Slow - This song jumps straight into the 'TFO sound'. A fast paced, energetic song that doesn't even slow to take a breath. It once again showcases each member of the bands talents and their ability to get the tempo of a song exactly as it should sound. A good song on the to help keep the album jumping along at a great pace.
4. Search And Destroy - Not to be confused with a certain Metallica song. This is TFOs own brand and they are stamping authority on everything they play. A calm riff carries through the verse and then a crescendo of guitars and drums take over to punch the chorus. The song slows through the middle and then builds to an emphatic, punchy finish. This album is throwing everything at you and every second is a joy to listen to.
5. Live Fast, Stay Young - The title track from this debut album has a cool beginning with the guitars climbing through the chords before the vocals start. the amount of slow downs and speed ups used by the band are very evident in this song. And it shows how talented the guys are with their timing and musical awareness as when to include build ups and pauses. An enjoyable song that keeps the feel-good vibe of the album running nicely.
6. Worlds Apart - This track starts with a slow acoustic guitar and adds the drums and electric guitar before the vocals begin. As usual, the ballad style is replaced with a heavy musical reprieve during the chorus. Immediately slowing to back to the 2nd verse. The guys then settle into their speedy bouncy groove and close out the song in a very soft setting. Halfway through the album and TFO are showing some great talent at keeping their audience captivated.
7. Give It Time - Another song that the guys start slowly with the vocals taking a more ballad style. Soft guitar and drums gliding along in the background until a familiar, jumpy, reggae style kicks in and makes you start to move around. This is a strong song and is a tribute to the bands talents that no songs are acting as filler to the album.
8. Start This Show - This song kicks straight into a riff of fast guitars and drums before Tom brings in the vocals. After the chorus, the music slows to allow the guitarists some playing time and then the drums build up and it's straight back into a rocking, bouncy tune. A great tune as the album moves into its latter stages.
9. I'm Alive - The vocals make the standout point to this song, with the guitars as an accompaniment. The musical bridge builds slowly and then drops off to a slow stream of lyrics before building to a crescendo and allowing the instruments to do the talking once again. A truly rocking song that makes you nod your head along.
10. Save The Tears - And now time for a nice, slow ballad as the album draws to its closing stage. However, at the 60 second mark it turns from ballad into the usual TFO jumping, happy, rocking sound. It's good to see the band infusing different sounds into their songs and TFO are able to do it with ease.
11. Another World - A strong guitar solo opens this song and Toms vocals prevail to stay strong with this ballad/rock mash up. The guys each have a time to solo their talents and it helps this song to speed up throughout, until Toms vocals slow the finish into a slightly heavier ballad finish. This song is a good, solid finish to a very decent album.
This is a sublime first album from a local Portsmouth band. Their song writing and musical talent is second to none and they have produced a great platform to help propel themselves further into the music world. Every song on the album makes you nod your head/jump around/bob along without even trying. They have created a genuine fast paced music style that works in the studio and on stage.
Tom can change his vocals at the click of his fingers and Dudley on backing sound gives the entire vocal section a rawness that would otherwise be lacking. Every member of the band seem comfortable with their instrument and can perform very well. The solos are well placed and executed perfectly. TFO are a great band who will continue to grow on the back of this offering.
More info on the band can be found at:
TFO Official Site
TFO Facebook
TFO Twitter
and their music is on iTunes
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