October 15th, 2012 
Grace Duffy 
Artist: Further Seems Forever
Album: Penny Black
Genre: Rock
Label: Rise Records
For a band that had early associations with that much-maligned, so-called genre of emo, Further Seems Forever have come a long way. Penny Black is a riveting, engaged, and entirely involving record that screams of maturity and focus. The steely grey resignation in Chris Carrabba’s voice is testament to this, as he anchors each song with a grim and earthy demeanour, speaking frankly of inner turmoil and persecutions while also reserving a softer side for eerie explorations of weakness. It’s a sublimely together record, confident in its sound and exhilarating in its enthusiasm. The subject matter isn’t always upbeat or heartwarming, but there’s something incredibly alluring about the realness of it all. It’s vivid and alive and unafraid to confront real inner demons and ghosts in its songs.
Most of the material on here charts a similar path. The music is, generally, quite harangued and anxious, flitting from more reluctant moments to intense and sprawling choruses. It complements and enhances Carrabba’s voice, which has a frazzled sense of desperation throughout. The air is very much one of difficulty, with all songs managing to reflect a certain kind of panic or loss. This in turn makes the slower, pensive tracks all the more striking. After the grainy intensity of the album’s first half, “A System of Symmetry” is almost haunting in its simplicity and elegance. The instruments are slower and distracted, giving the song a methodically suspended atmosphere. The percussion acts as a harsh reminder of scale and sound, crashing noisily off the frozen locales elsewhere. The band make excellent use of effects here, adding a spiralling sequence of notes at certain intervals as if to lend credence to the lost and confused state evoked by the lyrics. Both this and “On the Outside” have a faint sense of the spiritual to them, in keeping with the band’s early Christian affiliations. The repetitious chorus creates a sense of idolatry, as though the words are being chanted as opposed to sung. “On the Outside” is sweeping in its distant sadness also. It bemoans broken promises and seems removed and resigned, yet features a caustic and bitter chorus with harsher vocals. It captures the hopelessness in the same light it does anger, earning kudos for the band’s skill and careful interpretation.
Penny Black has a cyclical character, as the quandaries evinced in opening track “So Cold” reappear much later in “Stem the Loss.” Both of these songs have a sense of isolation to them, particularly the former, which suggests a deliberate estrangement from something that brings pain and distress. “Stem the Loss” is more upfront and direct however. Fiery and troubled, it is as tough and enduring as the overture but grapples more openly with its emotions. The vocals, as elsewhere, are tremendous on both – travelling through plagued and panicked to a kind of gnarled acceptance.
There’s very little to dislike here. Penny Black is a staggeringly consistent album, rooting everything in quite a firm-handed grip of the everyday and implicit. “Rescue Trained” is vast and overwhelming, embracing uncertainties with as much fervour as it does determination and resolve. “King’s Canyon” is broad and commanding and very engaging. There’s something very mysterious and thought-provoking to its sensuous notes and steady rhythm. “Rusted Machine” is one of the few slightly muddled, light-hearted tracks that err more on the side of pleasant and affable. It seems deliberately dishevelled and embraces its erratic rhythm with gusto. The ending transforms it entirely, coming out with a tender and loving serenade. The final track continues on this captivating note – “Janie” is a humble, coursing track that begs indulgence and forgiveness.
Penny Black may not be the most groundbreaking album in the world, but it is a masterclass in complex, careful music. Its themes are intense and ubiquitous and should appeal to everyone, framed as they are by a rigorous and unrelenting musical will. This is one of the most harmonious and satisfying listens you’ll have all year.
SCORE: 9/10
Review written by Grace Duffy
- David Fincher’s ‘Gone Girl’ Gets An Icy New Trailer - July 7, 2014
- SCENE & HEARD: ‘Jersey Boys’ - June 27, 2014
- MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Snowpiercer’ - June 21, 2014
Posted in 
Tags: 
This album is perhaps better than I could have imagined! The original line-up is so supremely full of quality and musicianship and just pure effort! Can’t wait to see them tonight.
Sooooooooooooooooooooooo amazing