Fairview

We’ll Dodge It On The Way Back + Extras (SideCho)
by Lauren Bussard

I’ve been playing this album nonstop for four days, which is a big deal because I generally disregard any band that employs the three-shaggy-haired-boys-plus-one-mod-female-singer formula. However, this group is not only hip, they are also – drumroll please – amazingly talented. With their debut full-length, We’ll Dodge it on the Way Back, SideCho has re-released Fairview‘s 2000 EP and added five acoustic tracks and three new demos, all of which bridge the gap between poppy indie rock and aggressive emo.

On the first seven songs, Fairview rocks hard while combining the melancholy sound of The Get Up Kids, the gorgeous female vocals of The Anniversary, and the synthesizers of Ozma (prominent in “Don’t Ever Tell Anyone Anything” and “Revolving Doors”). This mix produces a clear intensity that’s catchy but not contrived. On their acoustic and demo songs, Fairview borrows the softer, sparkly quality of Jimmy Eat World’s earlier albums, you know, before they released Bleed American and started writing sucky MTV-inspired pop-rock. I usually make fun of song titles that are ridiculously long, like, say, “This Is for Sure the Hardest Thing to Say,” but if Fairview’s songs sound this good – and oh, they do – they can name them anything they want.
(www.sidecho.com)