Fanfarlo - Reservoir

Fanfarlo are a band that have been kicking about on the fringe of the hype machine for a while and now, after a recording session stateside in Connecticut, their debut album Reservoir is finally unleashed.

The album starts with “I’m A Pilot” which is the perfect statement of intent. The song begins with loud, confident foot stomps and progresses into a piano-led anthem- combing gently soaring violins with woeful guitar slides.

The album continues with the emotive force of the opener, the array of instruments entwining and gliding around one another, soaring into climatic peaks and falling into delicate descends.

Throughout “Reservoir”, the collection of instruments consistently chops and changes in an array of different moods and styles. The mandolin of “The Walls Are Coming Down” provides a jaunty but melancholy ditty, while the trumpets on “Fire Escape” sound like horse riding hero trotting off into the sunset.

It’s often pretty remarkable stuff.  On first listen though, one criticism easily thrown at “Reservoir” is that it wears its influences pretty obviously on its sleeve. This album often takes the style of grand, swooping songs which almost always seem to be sound tracking the end of the world or the resurrection of Martin Luther King. In other words; hello Arcade Fire.

However, though singer Simon Balthazar may not possess Win Butler’s powerful cries for help, his semi-wailing sighs do very nearly rival them. It’s a voice which drips sincerity and shoots straight to the heart.

One of the early highlights of the album is “Luna”, a stomping, urgent song which races out of the traps like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah on a cocktail of amphetamines. After the song flies to a glorious peak, sprinkled with slide guitar and delirious keyboards, the second half sails along in gently valiant style.

On “If It Is Growing”, the band take a much less furiously grandiose approach and opt, instead, for a simple, piano led lullaby. This stripped down, beautifully simple ballad just goes to reveal another weapon in Fanfarlo’s arsenal.

“Reservoir” is a brilliant album of sweeping choruses, chaotic multi-instrumental peaks and great songmanship. The album dazzles from start to finish, taking the listener through many heart swelling highs and reflective downbeat moments and, with any luck, this is just the beginning to a long, illustrious career form a very talented band. 

Luna