Fjord Rowboat – Saved The Compliments for Morning

Fjord Rowboat – Saved The Compliments for Morning / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.fjordrowboat.com /

This is Fjord Rowboat’s first full length album. After individuals listen to “Carried Away”, they will marvel at how mature the band is. “Carried Away” is a track that has the same type of instrumental coolness and disaffected vocals that have been present in countless Franz Ferdinand and Interpol tracks, but what Fjord Rowboat does to break themselves off from that crew is provide a little bit of “Tonight, Tonight” (Smashing Pumpkins)-like strings to the mix, as well as a ropy bass that is present during all parts of the track. What results is something beautiful and catchy, something that allows fans to filter in by the busload as soon as the track starts.

The instruments take a much more focal role during “Can’t See The Sun”, to the degree that the vocals are really given a back seat to the guitars, bass, and splash drums that are present here. Allowing this segment of Fjord Rowboat to shine allows listeners to get a better idea about the band. The same dedication and ability present first in “Carried Away” is still present during “Can’t See The Sun”. The short track lengths of the first few songs on “Saved the Compliments for Morning” allows the band to get enough momentum to push themselves over the treacherous hill that is “Shootin’ The Breeze”. “Shootin’ The Breeze” is a much slower creature than either “Carried Away” and “Can’t See The Sun”. This different approach to creating a song allows the band to create a track that feels more earthy and organic.

Rather than just sticking in pieces and making them work at fifty miles an hour, the band starts slow and gradually eases itself into something much more magnificent. While the band ultimately comes back to the style that worked so well during the opening tracks for “Shootin’ The Breeze”, the song as a whole sounds more complete owing to this organic construct. The band simply does not have any chaff on this forty-plus minute album. There is little immediately evident to listeners that will cause them to hesitate in picking up this album. I am confident that as the band’s fan base grows, that they will be able to transform that support into a major-label deal, radio airplay, and video viewings on all the music outlets. Give this debut full-length a go and be one of the few that can honestly say that they knew about Fjord Rowboat before they broke it big.

Top Tracks: Paragon, Turn The Mirror Around

Rating: 7.4/10