Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The ordinary life is arguably the most noble, and hardest to maintain; the world, the madness of the universe and the sheer audacity of everyone around you to pull you back and forth is enough for anyone to think that their life never stops, that it is forever spinning out of control. The eccentric and the wonderfully unexpected can sit back in quieter reflection, they know that the extraordinary is a safer place to dwell and are always ready for the Full Of Strange and the unconventional to make their presence known, and are always up for the challenge that they bring.
Full Of Strange is easily one of the most motivating, attention-grabbing and fascinating albums of the year, a testament to The Fast Camels, no strangers themselves to the ways of perceived accounts before the fact of their performance, and how they have gone from strength to strength in their time together.
Full Of Strange, an album that digs deep into the Power Pop that has delighted their enormous following but which also alludes to something darker, vibrant, jammed to the rafters of expressive belief and the never ending search for a sound that will devastate the unreasonable and the prejudiced but bring passion to those willing to listen, willing to lay down their arms of resistance.
For the older music fan the memory of the avant-garde will spring to mind, the willingness to experiment with musical substance a moment of joy, which in the hands of The Fast Camels is one that extends out, far into the distance, a place where the lyric is worth a king’s ransom and the imagery that flows alongside refuses to contain it, to trap it or stifle.
With tracks such as Caught In A Dream, Storyteller, The Wedding, Sordid Dreams, The Curious Tale Of Peeping John Foley and Statue On The Hill all leaving their hefty mark on the proceedings, it is a hand on heart moment that will see any music fan revel in the Full Of Strange and the superbly accomplished; The Fast Camels have never sounded better.
The Fast Camels release Full Of Strange on December 2nd.
Ian D. Hall