Grief is something common that artists explore throughout their work. Whether it is through song, film or writing, many artists cope with the grief they are feeling through putting it in their art.
With Fiddlehead’s debut album “Springtime and Blind,” Patrick Flynn, the main vocalist of the band, explores his father’s death and how him and his mother have coped with the situation.
On Fiddlehead’s website, it says the “songs on this album hide the pain of loss beneath a layer of punchy, energetic instrumentals.” Being from Boston, it is evident the band is influenced by Sub Pop greats like Sonic Youth and Sebadoh on the creation of their sound. While the instrumentation is heavy, the vocals emulate early Rivers Cuomo and Weezer-type sounds.
One of the best examples of their sound is “Poem You,” one of the early songs on the album. The Sub Pop-era style of guitar begins the song and when the vocals come in, the song changes somewhat in a really interesting way. The lyrics of the song, along with the majority of the songs on the album, are extremely personal. The band even utilizes a sound clip of Flynn’s father saying “I’ll get back to you as soon as I can,” bringing more of an emotional weight to the song.
The personal conversations and messages continue throughout multiple songs in the album. These clips show the impact that Flynn’s father had on him. To successfully convey that emotional message to a listener on a debut album is impressive.
The highlight of the album was “Rejoice,” a seemingly halfway point for the album. Only 1:47, it seems like a transition from one half of the album to the other, but it has the most emotional impact of any of the songs on the album to me. The song summarizes religious texts like “This is the day the Lord has made, We should truly rejoice in it and be glad” to start off the song. Yet, as the song progresses, the lyrics start to question that statement of rejoicing, basically asking why they are supposed to get past the grief they are feeling at the moment. It was one of the most powerful experiences listening to a song I have had in a long time.
To end the album, “Widow In The Sunlight” really encapsulates the message of the entire album. The song was a hopeful look at remembrance and speaks about the importance of loving someone with your whole being.
“Springtime and Blind” is one of the best debut albums that I have heard in a long time, as well as one of my favorite albums of the entire year. The album was not perfect by any means though. Because the album was so short, only 10 songs in 24 minutes, it was hard somewhat to separate one song from the other, making the album seem a bit rushed at points. But, with multiple listens to the album in the future, it will definitely become more and more impactful. But, that is such a small critique and should not stop anyone from listening to this album.
If the band continues to be this personal and open throughout its career, they have one heck of a career ahead of them. On a label like Run For Cover records, who also represents acts like Camp Cope, Elvis Depressedly and Modern Baseball, Fiddlehead will have many opportunities ahead of them. I can’t wait to see them grow.
Download: “Poem You,” “Rejoice,” “Widow In The Sunlight” (But, if you can, download the whole thing! It is worth it!)
Grade: A
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