Published on Oct 20, 2004
Album of the year? Definitely not.
Faith No More (FNM) has always been a band with a sense of
humor. These days it is cool and hip for heavy metal bands to be
all gruff, serious and pondering, but FNM has never cared about
putting on a fake attitude. As a matter of fact, since rock/heavy
metal music is a lot about attitude — sometimes more than the
music — these guys have defied this trend by being casual and
enjoying their lunatic music, rather than working to give their
image any serious meaning.
As if making a grand exit, FNM named its last album
Album Of The Year when they themselves know very well that
they have lost all the spunk since the days of
Angel Dust. It is probably their way of laughing at
themselves. With the album cover giving a message of farewell,
probably the band knew that this would be their last album. This
album shows signs of a waning band. The band seems fatigued, and it
is only surprising that FNM could carry on for this final album
after
King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime, its predecessor.
Though FNM seems wearied in this album, it has come up with some
really exceptional songs, probably as a parting gift, though these
would definitely not compensate for the permanent absence of the
band. Of the twelve songs on
Album Of The Year, “Stripsearch,” “Last Cup Of Sorrow,”
“Helpless,” “Ashes To Ashes,” “Paths Of Glory” and “Pristina” are
what save the day for this album, and what a job the band has done
on these songs! Amongst the other forgettable stuff on
Album Of The Year, it is these few numbers that make it
worth listening to. Drastically different from FNM’s older stuff,
this album’s great numbers are much less aggressive than those
during the band’s heydays. Melancholic and poignant, these songs
show a much more subdued facet of this band.
Sadly, most of
Album Of The Year is filled with FNM’s failed attempts of
creating songs, if this explains how inane they sound, even by the
band’s crazy standards. Most of the lot on
Album Of The Year could be bluntly labeled as the band’s
worst ever. Here is where it shows that the band is in a state of
creative turbulence, and seriously needs to quit.
Album Of The Year may not be a perfect parting gift, but it
has moments that show off the genius of this underrated band, even
if they clearly knew their days were numbered.