Fake Problems – Real Ghosts Caught On Tape (Side One Dummy)
I really didn’t know what to make of Real Ghosts Caught on Tape upon initial listens. Previously, I had never paid much attention to the Naples, Florida-based Fake Problems. When they opened for the Gaslight Anthem, they had several cards stacked against them in order to win me over. It wouldn’t be until months later where I could finally marvel at how wonderful this record truly is.
All throughout its 38-minute running time, there is a tremendous amount to love. Whether it’s to be found in the sophisticated instrumentation demonstrated on “5678;” or the lamentations of a young adult lusting for a past life or greater things on “Songs for Teenagers,” “The Magazines” or “Ghost to Coast,” Fake Problems deliver on all fronts. The biggest strength this record has is its confidence. When you gander at the genre variety exhibited in their back catalog, I don’t think this has ever been an issue for them. The difference here is that Real Ghosts Caught On Tape is a clean pop record by a band that, in the past, may have wanted to challenge their listeners with more extreme measures. It isn’t that they took a simplistic approach to Real Ghosts Caught on Tape. It’s that they decided to raise the bar as to what their audience wanted from a band like them. They made a statement with this record, by arguing that the most extreme direction a band can take in this day and age is to embrace one’s pop sensibilities. It’s much cooler and much more accepted to detour towards the world of excessive experimentalism–Fake Problems have done so in the past and I imagine they are still very capable of doing so again. If it weren’t for this risk, and my perception of it, I don’t think this record would have impacted me in quite the same way.
In my eyes, a record can live or die based strictly on the lyrical content. Chris Farren kills it time and time again with his lyrics, on tunes like “Songs for Teenagers,” “RSVP,” “Grand Finale,” and “Ghost to Coast.” There is a restlessness in his musings. To be so young, and be in a band that tours as frequently as Fake Problems, must be as invigorating as it is exhausting. As a result of this restlessness, Farren has found acceptance for his successes and failures in the simple foundations of building connections with the world around him.
In “The Magazines,” Farren contemplates the aftereffects of celebrity, and how it can irrevocably separate lifelong partners in crime. While “RSVP” may be one of the nicer breakup songs ever written, it still takes an honest look at the idea that when things get worse, they may never get better (or at least not for a while). The two closing tracks, “Grand Finale” and “Ghost to Coast,” on the other hand, offer very intriguing perspectives on what could be considered tired subject matter. “Grand Finale” examines the absence of revolt in their current lives. The lyrics contemplate the point when when rage turns into indifference, and how witnessing a burning bridge collapse could be the catalyst needed to force everyone to take notice again. “Ghost to Coast” concludes the record on a much more upsetting note. This track speaks volumes about lusting for something or someone, to such a degree that you can’t help but question how you got to where you were headed. It isn’t so much regret in what you have accomplished; more that you can’t help but wonder if a detour would have made more sense. Whether that detour is more of a romantic choice or a different life path is up to the listener to decide. As graciously as Farren admits his shortcomings, he is just as quick to admit that you may have to swallow your frustration and accept that you are good enough after all.
I didn’t expect to like this record, let alone adore it. If I were to offer any words for anyone approaching this record, they would be: don’t let the first listen fool you. There is a remarkable pop gem to be found in Real Ghosts Caught on Tape. It doesn’t second guess it’s audience’s ability to find anthems in the songs of the downtrodden and the brilliantly relatable hopeless romantics that don’t always find victories at the end of each adventure. Fake Problems may be the antithesis of what I would typically listen to, but in this case, I’m completely fine with that.
Fake Problems – Real Ghosts Caught On Tape (Side One Dummy)
I really didn’t know what to make of Real Ghosts Caught on Tape upon initial listens. Previously, I had never paid much attention to the Naples, Florida-based Fake Problems. When they opened for the Gaslight Anthem, they had several cards stacked against them in order to win me over. It wouldn’t be until months later where I could finally marvel at how wonderful this record truly is.
All throughout its 38-minute running time, there is a tremendous amount to love. Whether it’s to be found in the sophisticated instrumentation demonstrated on “5678;” or the lamentations of a young adult lusting for a past life or greater things on “Songs for Teenagers,” “The Magazines” or “Ghost to Coast,” Fake Problems deliver on all fronts. The biggest strength this record has is its confidence. When you gander at the genre variety exhibited in their back catalog, I don’t think this has ever been an issue for them. The difference here is that Real Ghosts Caught On Tape is a clean pop record by a band that, in the past, may have wanted to challenge their listeners with more extreme measures. It isn’t that they took a simplistic approach to Real Ghosts Caught on Tape. It’s that they decided to raise the bar as to what their audience wanted from a band like them. They made a statement with this record, by arguing that the most extreme direction a band can take in this day and age is to embrace one’s pop sensibilities. It’s much cooler and much more accepted to detour towards the world of excessive experimentalism–Fake Problems have done so in the past and I imagine they are still very capable of doing so again. If it weren’t for this risk, and my perception of it, I don’t think this record would have impacted me in quite the same way.
In my eyes, a record can live or die based strictly on the lyrical content. Chris Farren kills it time and time again with his lyrics, on tunes like “Songs for Teenagers,” “RSVP,” “Grand Finale,” and “Ghost to Coast.” There is a restlessness in his musings. To be so young, and be in a band that tours as frequently as Fake Problems, must be as invigorating as it is exhausting. As a result of this restlessness, Farren has found acceptance for his successes and failures in the simple foundations of building connections with the world around him.
In “The Magazines,” Farren contemplates the aftereffects of celebrity, and how it can irrevocably separate lifelong partners in crime. While “RSVP” may be one of the nicer breakup songs ever written, it still takes an honest look at the idea that when things get worse, they may never get better (or at least not for a while). The two closing tracks, “Grand Finale” and “Ghost to Coast,” on the other hand, offer very intriguing perspectives on what could be considered tired subject matter. “Grand Finale” examines the absence of revolt in their current lives. The lyrics contemplate the point when when rage turns into indifference, and how witnessing a burning bridge collapse could be the catalyst needed to force everyone to take notice again. “Ghost to Coast” concludes the record on a much more upsetting note. This track speaks volumes about lusting for something or someone, to such a degree that you can’t help but question how you got to where you were headed. It isn’t so much regret in what you have accomplished; more that you can’t help but wonder if a detour would have made more sense. Whether that detour is more of a romantic choice or a different life path is up to the listener to decide. As graciously as Farren admits his shortcomings, he is just as quick to admit that you may have to swallow your frustration and accept that you are good enough after all.
I didn’t expect to like this record, let alone adore it. If I were to offer any words for anyone approaching this record, they would be: don’t let the first listen fool you. There is a remarkable pop gem to be found in Real Ghosts Caught on Tape. It doesn’t second guess it’s audience’s ability to find anthems in the songs of the downtrodden and the brilliantly relatable hopeless romantics that don’t always find victories at the end of each adventure. Fake Problems may be the antithesis of what I would typically listen to, but in this case, I’m completely fine with that.
