Anyone who thinks the phrase “it’s all been done before” carries real weight clearly has yet to encounter Fair to Midland. Dark, heavy, moving, cryptic, progressive art rock collides with flourishes of old-school country, Americana and Delta Blues in their sound. These Lonestar boys' genre-defying and boundary obliterating ocean of sound righteously upends the old phrase “fair to middling” from which their Texas-ified moniker was drawn.
Arrows & Anchors, the five-piece band’s first album in partnership with eOne Music, is meaner, sadder and altogether more desperate of an affair than its predecessors. “It’s a very bitter album,” offers vocalist Darroh Sudderth. “The last album had some light at the end of the tunnel in some of the subject matter. This one doesn’t have that quite so much.”
This particularly invigorating yet undeniably gut-wrenching collection of songs is the product of a string of years of career strife since the group last poked their head into magazines and record shops. Arrows and Anchors follows a change in record label, a change in management and one (“maybe two,” Sudderth laughs) changes in booking agent. All of that change and upheaval definitely played a role in the creative process; artistic lemonade from business lemons.
There has never been a lack of faith from the diehard admirers who have steadily adopted the band as their own in growing numbers since Fair to Midland’s initial pair of self-released albums, The Carbon Copy Silver Lining (2001) and inter.funda.stifle (2004). Both were explorations into the furthest reaches of the musical psyche that earned them praise from critics, fans and fellow musicians. Fair to Midland are a true “band’s band.”
So much so, in fact, that eclectic musical connoisseur and multiplatinum recording artist Serj Tankian, best known as the frontman for System of a Down, signed them to his Serjikal Strike imprint, which released The Drawn & Quartered EP (2006) and the band’s third full-length album, Fables From a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True (2007).
A killer live show and intensive roadwork as a headliner, at prestigious festivals such as Coachella, Download, Rock AM Ring and Rock IM Ring and together with bands like Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Flyleaf and Dir en Grey has brought the band’s skillful and adept approach to art rock infused prog-metal to international attention.
There are a few of their by now trademarked tongue-in-cheek dalliances to be sure but for the most part Arrows and Anchors is Fair to Midland’s most cynical offering. By the same turn, it’s a performance album with a laser-like focus on the raw passion and intensity. In an age of overly processed heavy music, the band partnered with producer Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, Coheed and Cambria, Melvins) who sequestered them into his self-appointed House of Compression in Pasadena, California and wrenched out top-tier performances.
The recording captures an authenticity and a sincerity that’s lacking in most modern records. “We always want to work with someone who is interested and enthusiastic to work with us,” Sudderth explains. “Because at the end of the day they’re going to spend that much more time wanting to make the record their own, as well. We didn’t want to worry about everything being immaculate, pristine and polished. This is absolutely a performance-driven record.”
Arrows & Anchors is also a testament to Fair to Midland’s personal chemistry and unique collaborative perspective. Some songs were written together. Others were demoed out by a particular member – say keyboardist Matt Langley or his six string cohort, Cliff Campbell – right down to the programmed drums. “Or maybe I brought a completed song where I programmed whatever instruments I can’t play,” Sudderth elaborates. It was a very open process.
The bizarrely creative and inspired vocals and guitar work in Fair to Midland play against the counterintuitive and monstrously rhythmic backbeat of drummer Brett Stowers and bassist Jon Dicken. Matt Langley’s ethereal electronics enhance everything else. The group’s canvas is as expansive and breathtaking as the state of Texas itself.
Fair to Midland is one of the rare bands who expertly walk the fine line between accessibility and integrity, between open lines of communication and introverted psychic exploration. “We’re not gifted songwriters,” Sudderth says with genuine self-effacing humility. “So we have to be really resourceful and that’s a talent in and of itself. We do our best.”
Fair to Midland's current lineup consists of Darroh Sudderth (vocals, banjo, mandolin, bass), Cliff Campbell (guitar), Matt Langley (keys), Ryan Collier (bass), and Logan Kennedy (drums).
In November 2011, the band released their first DVD, Welcome to the Dirt, consisting mainly of band shots and fan footage of live shows. The DVD is distributed exclusively through their own merchandise site. The profit from this release helped fund a professional video recording of the band's show at The Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan on December 17. This footage will be released worldwide on DVD on March 27, 2012. Arrows & Anchors will was released on double vinyl on March 26, limited to 250 copies.
Walls Of Jericho
Fair to Midland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Retrieved from a teleprompt
Practical, you are not
Break the ice with a cotton swab
A fever that cools us all
Handshake's a contact sport
No one was waiting to throw out the pilot
Another tomorrow
Shedding the shade we made yesterday
Disguised as the lightning
Dissolving all of the thunder there
Appeasing our monsters
Under the acrylic sky
Another tomorrow
Another tomorrow
Grab my hand, here comes the crash
I live for the strong impact
That renders both our airbags
Takes every letter you send
Don't fold if you're made to bend
Rekindle the feud again
No one was waiting to throw out the pilot
We float on the back of the winds that you send us
Another tomorrow
Shedding the shade we made yesterday
Disguised as the lightning
Dissolving all of the thunder there
Appeasing our monsters
Under the acrylic sky
Another tomorrow
(Did you recognize your next-door neighbor today? Sure)
String up your harp, play like today will last five minutes
This won't take long - sing us a song that stops the silence
String up your harp, play like today will last five minutes
This won't take long - sing us a song that stops the silence
Another tomorrow
Shedding the shade we made yesterday
Disguised as the lightning
Dissolving all of the thunder there
Appeasing our monsters
Under the acrylic sky
Another tomorrow
The song "Walls of Jericho" by Fair to Midland opens with a thought-provoking line: "What dreams splendidly weaved from an atom bomb retrieved from a teleprompt." The imagery here suggests that our dreams and aspirations might come from a destructive source, even one that we didn't intend to unleash. The following lines critique those who are too practical and fail to take risks, likening them to someone who breaks the ice with a cotton swab. The chorus repeats the line "No one was waiting to throw out the pilot," emphasizing the idea that we are responsible for charting our own course in life, even if it means taking risks and flying solo. The song's theme seems to center around the idea of embracing change, even if it means facing our fears and dismantling the walls we've built around ourselves.
The next verse continues the theme of embracing change and making the most of today: "Another tomorrow fills up my front window. Outlasting the west wind and building ourselves in." Here, the lyrics suggest that we can't control what the future holds, but we can make the most of each day and build a foundation for tomorrow. The final lines of the song encourage us to make music and create something beautiful, even in the face of crisis: "String up your harp, play like today will last five minutes. It won't take long to sing us a song to stop the sirens." The song seems to suggest that even in the midst of chaos, we can find beauty and connection through music and creativity.
Line by Line Meaning
What dreams splendidly weaved from an atom bomb retrieved from a teleprompt.
The song talks about the power of imagination, even if it comes from a potentially destructive source.
Practical, you are not, you break the ice with a cotton swab.
Being practical is not always the best way to connect with people; sometimes it takes just a small gesture to break the ice.
A fever to cool us off, a handshake is a contact sport.
Sometimes even the simplest things, like a handshake, can have a profound effect on us.
No one was waiting to throw out the pilot. We'll float on the back of the winds that you send us.
The song acknowledges a sense of helplessness, but also resilience, in the face of external circumstances - like being at the mercy of the winds.
Another tomorrow, shedding the shade we made yesterday. Disguised as the lightning, dissolving all of the thunder, then - Appeasing our monsters under the acrylic skies. Another tomorrow..
The song talks about the cyclical nature of time and how we have the power to overcome our own demons.
Outlasting the west wind and building ourselves in So, grab my hand here comes the crash I live for the strong impact that renders both our airbags.
The song talks about wanting to experience life fully, even if that means facing the consequences of our actions.
Seven folds take very letter you send, don't fold if you're made to bend, rekindle the feud again.
The song talks about the danger of ignoring or suppressing conflict, and the importance of addressing it honestly.
String up your harp, play like today will last five minutes. It wont take long to sing us a song to stop the sirens. Sing us a song to stop the silence.
The song offers a call to action: to use music and art to bring people together and address the problems in the world.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW SUDDERTH, BRETT STOWERS, CLIFFORD CAMPBELL, JOHN MATTHEW LANGLEY, JON DICKEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind