Farrah - Cut Out & Keep

FARRAH: Cut Out and Keep - Imported from the UK by Listening Post Music In the two years since the release of Farrah's second album 'Me Too', the band have been on a non-stop roundabout of international touring and recording. Having played on bills with Ash, Phantom Planet and The Feeling, Farrah have been keeping good company while honing their live chops in the UK, Europe and Japan. When not succumbing to the pull of the road, the band setup a recording studio in South London where 'Cut Out And Keep' was recorded and mixed. While all 11 tracks still pulse with the band's trademark power pop, jangly guitars, vintage synthesizer sounds and singer/songwriter Jez Ashurst's genius with a quirky lyric 'Cut Out And Keep' is a more reflective offering than Farrah's two previous albums. The band's pop sensibility has taken a worldly direction that has seen them pepper 'Cut Out And Keep' with anthemic rock songs, wistful piano ballads and classic West Coast-sounding harmonies. In essence, 'Cut Out And Keep' is an album of contrasts. The first single is the ridiculously catchy 'Fear Of Flying', which tells the story of an aviophobic travel agent, and sees bass player Michelle Margherita taking lead vocal for part of the track. 'Fear Of Flying' also comes with a brilliant stop-frame animated video involving nearly 10,000 still photographs which took 6 weeks to shoot. 'Dumb Dumb Ditty' is just what is says on the tin - a big, dumb rock song - that has had the normally restrained live audiences in Japan moshing in appreciation. The irresistibly poignant acoustic tune 'As Soon As I Get Over You' looks at those first days after a relationship break-up with a shy sense of humour and a lot of heart, while the breezy strains of 'No-One Stays Together' invokes summer days and car rides with the wind blowing through your hair while delivering the subdued message that no one stays together anymore. Farrah are at their most expressive when marrying bittersweet stories with uplifting tunes and this is illustrated most affectingly on 'No Reason Why' - a bright, brilliant song filled with brassy trumpet trills and strident guitars, but dealing lyrically with a nervous breakdown. FARRAH: Cut Out and Keep - Imported from the UK by Listening Post Music.