Fanfarlo : Rooms Filled With Light

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/fanfarloroomsfilledwithlight.jpg" alt="Fanfarlo : Rooms Filled With Light" /><br /> Alt-folk collective stars return. ...
Fanfarlo : Rooms Filled With Light
7.4 Atlantic
2012 

Fanfarlo : Rooms Filled With Light

A couple of years ago there was a serious explosion in alt-folk collectives, and London’s Fanfarlo were right there in the middle of it with debut Reservoir (QRO review), a can’t-help-but-love kind of record.  Now the group returns with Rooms Filled With Light, a brighter album that also introduces an indietronic backbeat.  While not as instantly loveable as Reservoir, it’s still a good follow-up.

The one struggle Rooms has it that it lacks a standout – opener/first single “Replicate” is interesting as it moves from pressing and anxious into bright strings, but doesn’t grab the listener.  Better, perhaps best on the album, is the following “Deconstruction”, an enjoyable, get-you-moving kind of piece that best mixes the band’s alt-folk style with new indietronic elements.  “Shiny Things” is bright and catchy, but also more than that, while the upswing to “Tightrope” is uplifting.

There are some relative missteps, such as the too relaxed “Tunguska” and the big moments in the otherwise lilting “A Flood” are confusing.  But overall, Rooms Filled With Light is like a good alt-folk collective: more than the sum of its parts, even if none shines brightest.

MP3 Stream: “Deconstruction

{audio}/mp3/files/Fanfarlo – Deconstruction.mp3{/audio}

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