Brooklyn's Fang Island describe their aesthetic as "everyone high-fiving everyone." So it's appropriate that the band's website features a video of them jamming out with kindergartners and another with Andrew WK-- people so caught up in having a good time that you sometimes wonder if they're bullshitting you. What helps Fang Island steamroll past cynicism is how "fun" isn't just an ornament for them, it's embedded in the band's musical DNA.
Fang Island's self-titled second album is joyous despite its general lack of verses or choruses. It's fractured like any post-punk record while also speaking the language of classic rock, yet often feels like an intricate collage pieced together from elements that make songs memorable-- palm-muted power chords following wide-open intros, blistering solos, double-time outros. Pretty much all of that is crammed into the deleriously infectious "Daisy", an emphatic crossbreed of the Go! Team and the Promise Ring's "Is This Thing On?" The dance routine in the song's video feels like the only natural reaction to hearing it.
As Fang Island's entry point, "Daisy" might come on a bit strong, but what precedes it sets the tone perfectly. The record opens with fireworks (literally), before an armada of severely EQ'd guitar harmonics swoop in like fighter jets. The band then bursts into a dense chorus of four-part harmonies, earnestly intoning the WK-ish positive mantra: "They are all within my reach. They are free." Next comes "Careful Crossers", which has no words but would be shortchanged by being called an "instrumental" when such lyrical riffs pop up every eight bars.
Fang Island aren't total deconstructionists-- the see-sawing rhythms and stutter-step cadence of songs like "Life Coach" and "Treeton" wouldn't be out of place on a Spoon or Modest Mouse album. But unlike other pop craftsmen, Fang Island rarely give you any indication of what direction they might take. "Sideswiper" appears to settle into a Ted Leo-ish 12/8 stomper after its darting intro, until a sudden acoustic guitar and high-wire leads hints that the whole thing might just be one big riff on "Jack and Diane".
The music coordinators at MTV recently tapped "Daisy" to soundtrack a series of commercials for the reality show The Buried Life. The premise of the show-- "What do you want to do before you die?"-- is pretty corny, but Fang Island's exuberance is perfect for chasing dreams. While their manic musicianship and group-hug vibe may inspire more than a few comparisons to the badly missed Mae Shi, they aren't about proselytizing. This music is just honest and life-affirming and infectious, and it's that rare concentration of directness and simplicity that makes Fang Island so uniquely and wonderfully inclusive.
