Fake Problems - It's Good To Be Alive

Fake Problems is a rock band out of Naples, Florida. Wikipedia calls them “indie rock & roll,” but I would modify that to include the word “hectic.” I mean that in the best possible sense; this album is not punk rock- though the band is appreciated amongst punk rockers, and this album is coming out on Sideonedummy Records- but it features some driving tempos, on occasion some distorted guitars, and a scratchy vocals that only a punk could love.

The album leads off with the quick “1234,” featuring a horn section and a xylophone. While musically the focus is on the standard guitar/bass/drum combo, the band seems to really enjoy varying the instrumentation from song to song, which ends up adding to the music instead of being gimmicky. Well done, lads.

The music on the album can most closely be compared to some of the work by the World/Inferno Friendship Society. They manage that same sort of urgency, while not letting the music be too pigeonholed. Fake Problems play rock & roll, and all the genre and subgenre-wrangling can be left to critics, reviewers, and bloggers. Their sound has elements of punk, indie rock, funk,a dash of country, and all sorts of other things.

With all these influences, it would seem to be easy to make an album that felt disjointed and cluttered; full of ideas and concepts, but slim of any sense of distilling those influences into something cohesive, or at least listenable. Fake Problems has avoided that, er, problem; the album flows, and better yet, it rocks. The whole here is greater than the sum of its parts. God, I love a good cliche. At any rate, these guys have an excellent sense for hooks, and the songs are laden with them.

The lead singer’s theatricality really helps sell this album. On more than one occasion, he reminds me of a less-grating Black Parade-era Gerard Way. I mean that as a compliment, really.

Fake Problems have here delivered an excellent sophomore effort, and I recommend checking it out if you are at all able.