Fantazja's "Help Yourself"

Fantazja is a new band from Sweden that made their debut with A Different Drum near the end of 2007. "Help Yourself" is their first full-length CD.

I got this CD for Christmas, but it took me a while to get to it because of how much I enjoyed Michigan's latest album.

I already owned Fantazja's "Sing this Song" single, and liked it okay, so I thought I knew what to expect from the full-length album.

Now that I've heard the CD several times I have to say I'm surprised at the consistently high quality of the music. This is fun, catchy, light synthpop somewhat similar to Echo Image, early Blue October (UK), Cosmicity, etc. And, I think if you are a fan of those modern synthpop groups, you'll really like Fantazja.

Here are the songs:

1. How I Feel-- The album starts off with a fast, fun song. This is exactly how I like my "light synthpop." 4 stars

2. Remedy-- The second track on the CD is slow, but the chorus is gorgeous and sad at the same time. When a music group can keep my attention on the slower songs, that's when I know they're up to something good. 4 stars

3. Kathy-- The tempo picks up a bit for the third track. "Kathy" is a good, solid song. It has a sad mood running through it. 3 stars

4. Tension-- This song, for me, is the first letdown on the disc. The song's okay, but it all seems too disjointed for me to enjoy it much. It features a thumping sound whose beat I didn't find very pleasing. Then the song suddenly ends very abruptly. I always just skip this song now to get back to the good stuff. 1.5 stars

5. Make a Wish-- Love this one. Again there's a bit of sadness in this one, but the synths are fun and interesting, and I love the hook "Quick, quick, make a wish . . ." 4 stars

6. Thoughts are Dust-- Another very disjointed song in my opinion. "Thoughts are Dust" is just not catchy enough for me, and I can't skip it quickly enough. 1.5 stars

7. Instruct me Further-- Here we get the highlight of the album! Catchy, bouncy, well-written; I just love this one. 5 stars

8. Dwell-- I like this one. It has some cool synths going on in the background and some whispered lyrics behind the sung lyrics that creates a cool effect. 3 stars

9. You Ask Nothing of Me-- More fun, light synthpop. Definitely one of the better songs on the album with a great chorus. 4 stars

10. Speechless-- Good song. 3 stars

11. Fist Meets Face-- Based on the title of the track I thought this song would be dumb, but it's quite excellent. 4 stars

12. Sing this Song-- This was the first single from the album, and it's a good choice (although I think four other songs would have been good candidates as well). 4 stars

13. Something Else-- Good song. Watch for the fun hidden track at the end of this song. 3 stars

After such a strong album, Fantazja deserves a strong following. Now I just need to figure out how to pronounce their name.

New album by Michigan: "Pulse of Pain"

After seeing the music video for "The Nomad" on YouTube (see below), I was impressed enough to pick up the CD, "Pulse of Pain," from A Different Drum.

I'm mostly glad I did. It was clear immediately that Michigan knows how to write excellent, memorable synthpop. After only two or three listens, several songs were firmly planted in my mind.

My only hesitation about "Pulse of Pain" is that it strikes me as being fairly top-heavy. The first four songs are the best ones on the album in my opinion, although the last two songs are also very strong. In between are several songs that all blend together for me. Still, six very good songs on one CD is pretty good, and maybe the rest of them will grow on me with repeated listens.

Here are my ratings of each song:

1.The Nomad-- This is a great song. It's got pounding drums and great vocals. It's starts off sounding very David Gahan-ish, but as the chorus approaches that changes--but in a good way. Based on the video, "The Nomad" seems to be about the singer's daughter. The line "Now she is my fortune" (repeated several times in the song) fits that theory too. This is a new favorite song of mine. 5 stars

2. Decadence-- The second song on the CD also happens to be the second best song. It's another fast-paced song with a great chorus. It sounds much less like Depeche Mode than "The Nomad." My second time through the album I was already singing along. It has some religious themes and content. 4.5 stars

3. Juveniles-- Yet another great chorus that sticks in your head and won't go away. This is another favorite of mine. 4 stars

4. Valley of Death-- This is the first slower song on the album. It's pretty while still being catchy and interesting. Good stuff. 4 stars

5. Hang On-- This song is a very solid, competent one that most people will probably like quite a bit. I just can't get over my problem with crunchy guitars, and this song starts off very crunchy and brings the crunch back into the song several times. 3 stars

6. The Gravity-- "The Gravity" is a slow song that starts off with some nice piano followed by a foreboding drumbeat. The vocals are really nice here. I expect this song will grow on me and eventually become a favorite. 3.5 stars

7. Shine in Silver-- This is a good song, but kind of forgettable in my opinion. 3 stars

8. Mysterious (Infected World)-- Slow, pretty song, but a little boring for me. 2.5 stars

9. Love's a Disease-- This one is a nice mid-tempo song that has some cool sounds and will probably grow on me over time. But right now, like the previous couple of songs, it's a bit forgettable. 3.5 stars

10. Demons Inside-- A solid song. My thoughts on this one are similar to "Love's a Disease." It's catchy enough; it's just that the songs are sounding pretty similar to one another at this point. The title is reminiscent of "Devil Inside" by INXS, but the meaning of the two songs are quite different. In "Demons Inside," the singer is asking that someone pray for him to set him free from demons inside. It's a tad more hopeful than INXS conceding that everyone's evil. 3 stars

11. Pioneers-- "Pioneers" begins with a sample of what sounds like a southern preacher quoting scripture. I've read several comments by atheists saying that the preacher sample ruins this song for them. I don't think they should let it do so. The stereotypical sound of the preacher makes me think the song might be making fun of preachers a bit. It could go either way, though. The song itself is beautiful. 4 stars

12. Pulse of Pain-- This one finishes the album solidly. Nothing that distinguished, though. I'll give it: 3.5 stars.

Overall, I'm glad I bought Michigan's "Pulse of Pain."