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IN-FLIGHT SAFETY - WE ARE AN EMPIRE, MY DEAR

Despite the success of In-Flight Safety's debut album The Coast Is Clear, it did not take a genius to figure out that the sophomore release was going to be a difficult hurdle for this Halifax band to jump over. The reason for this, is the fact that it has become quite common for Coldplay to be mentioned in an In-Flight Safety review almost as much as the band themselves are. The similarities were impossible to ignore, both in terms of musical style and John Mullane's uncanny vocal resemblance to Chris Martin. Being compared to Coldplay is a two edged sword. On the one hand, whether you like them or not, one cannot deny the talent. On the other hand, anybody with an ounce of musical adventure has undoubtedly grown cold of the play, as the band's last two albums were sheer examples of mailed-in monotony, in my opinion.

In-Flight Safety's latest album, called We Are An Empire, My Dear, is what Martin and company's third release should have been. No, it's not perfect, but it does showcase enough of a sense of adventure to keep an individual interested, as the band does what every artist is supposed to do with each subsequent release, that is, take things to the next level. The album begins on a high with I Could Love You More, a song that segues in and out of a wall of guitar sound, emphasizing the band's desire to display versatility not only from song to song, but also within the confines of the single song arrangement. The two following songs (Big White Elephant and Model Homes) are the obvious single choices, hooky and simple. The first one is definitely the more interesting of the two, displaying a slight arena rock style, particularly in the way the bass line and the keyboards play off of each other, reminding me of the more interesting CanCon bands of the 80's. The next song is Crash/Land which is all well and good, but it's the next part that caught me a little bit off guard. I feel that the album really takes off in the section that stretches from track 5 to track 10. These six songs deserve to be played together as an intense musical suite. It begins with Torches, an atmospheric number that starts slowly with a subtle melody accompanied by Mullane singing in a hushed vocal before the guitars chime in and the song begins its steady climb. As the vocal "la-la's" at the song's ending fades off into the distance, the opening moments to Actors chimes in, acting as an introduction to another hooky new wave delight. The song's arrangement is quite simple, but lyrically it paints a very vivid picture, as the lead character acknowledges that "we are not in love, we are only acting ... so bad." The song ends quite abruptly, which is perfect as it prevents things from dragging on longer than necessary. Amy Racina is part three of this musical suite, and it just might be my favourite song on the album. It's very mellow, but I really appreciate the control in Mullane's voice, almost sounding jazzy. CloudHead comes up next, once again making good use of atmospheres, adding a sense of ethereal desperation as the vocal "I'm so scared and I want to go home" fades into the lulling instrumental song Paperthin II. That song is followed by the final song in the must-hear portion of the album, simply called Paperthin. The lyric "I don't know where the wind will take us, we're paperthin, it's sure to break us" emphasizes to me the inevitable unsurety that accompanies most relationships, and I really appreciate the vulnerability displayed both in the lyric itself and in the presentation.

We Are An Empire, My Dear is perhaps a couple of songs too long, and it may not have my rapt attention complete from start to finish, but overall it is still a significant step up from their debut, which is exactly what a sophomore album is supposed to be. I'll be listening intently when it comes time for album number three because my mind visualizes all sorts of interesting paths for a band of this calibre to take. In the meantime, this is an album to be embraced, as the band moves one step closer to shaking the Coldplay out of their system.

Photo by Scott Munn

Myspace: In-Flight Safety
Download: Actors mp3

Download: Model Homes mp3


CONTEST: Courtesy of Pigeon Row, I've got two copies of In-Flight Safety's We Are An Empire, My Dear to give away. To win one, all you gotta do is e-mail me at quadb2001[at]gmail[dot]com with "I Value My In-Flight Safety" in the subject line, and your name and mailing address in the body.

Contest is now closed. Congrats to Dave B. and Pat B. Your CD's will be sent out shortly. Thanks to all who entered.