Posted on: December 2, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

This is an electric-infused brand of folk rock that envelops all facets of a listener’s senses. The swamp-rock riffs that are such a major part of “I Hope You’re There” is a perfect introduction to Fite’s world, as the shambling sound of the track shows the diversity of sounds that influence Fite throughout. The infusion of a generous synthesizer to “No Good Here” brings one more dimension to Fite’s music, as does the rock (almost metal) explosions that happen at differing times during the track. The gratitious user of profanity can be rationalized by the utterly detached by the way that ey uses “fuck” throughout the track, as another word instead of something bad. What might be the most interesting development that occurs on “Gone Ain’t Gone” might just be the rap-like delivery that becomes prevalent during tracks like “Forty-Five Remedies”.

In terms of innovation, it ranks right up there with the spastic pace of this disc, which has Fite move into a new genre about every thirty seconds. There are moments on “Gone Ain’t Gone” where the end result is more than a little disjointed, but there are times (like the move into the guitar solo on “Forty-Five Remedies”) where the sound is impressive. Starting out “I’ve Kept Singing” in an artificially-created voice similar to Radiohead’s “Fitter Happier”, Tim Fite continually keeps listeners on their feet and wondering where the next assault will come from. There are weak moments on the disc such as the very pop-striving track “Shook”, but by and large Fite steers away from these mindless platitudes and really creates a disc that one can tell was created for the express purpose of getting everything off of Fite’s chest. Different subjects and styles are broached even at the ending tracks of the disc, and tracks like “A Little Bit” can use different arrangements and time signatures in such a way that something transcendent is made that will at the same time work perfectly with the average music-listening masses.

While many of the disc’s tracks probe the harder side of things, there is nothing structurally stopping Fite from finding eir softer side. In fact, the expertly-crafted flute and emotive acoustic that are so present during “Mascara Lies” will undoubtedly have listeners hanging on Fite’s every word, even after the CD has spun to a halt. Still, the folk that lead off this CD is always close and easy to find; the hoe-down present in the sub-minute “Times Comes Around” marks another stop at that well.

Top Tracks: No Good Here, I’ve Kept Singing

Rating: 6.8/10

Tim Fite – Gone Ain’t Gone / 2005 Anti / 17 Tracks / http://www.timfite.com / http://www.anti.com / Reviewed 02 September 2005

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