Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: FM
Label: Membran
Release: 2013
Duration: 42:17
Rating: 4.5/5
»Rockville II« is the second album from FM, out just 14 days after its predecessor »Rockville« (RockLine review HERE). FM originally planned a double CD release, then changed their minds at the last minute. FM are the most prominent torchbearers of the British take on AOR. Their album »Indiscreet« (1986) should be sitting on the CD shelf of every household that takes itself seriously.
It sounds a bit odd when a band like FM decides to put out two separate studio albums within 14 days of each other. FM have their trademark AOR »groove« from the past and the present. Musically, they can’t surprise you anymore. What you see and hear is what you get.
Still, releasing two separate studio albums makes sense for a number of reasons. »Rockville II« is actually a bit different from »Rockville«. For the second album, FM gathered a batch of songs that feel somewhat softer than the material on »Rockville«. So you come to realize that »Rockville II« is even more intensified in how precisely it places the chosen mood, which has to reach the listener through the delivery of the vocal melodies and their message. Of course, those can’t catch fire on their own. They’re backed by a »softer« approach to songwriting, arranging and, finally, production, which on »Rockville II« demands the finesse of the biggest perfectionists in pop rhetoric. You could say the material on »Rockville II« demands even more feeling when it comes to stringing together a perfectly shaped formula for getting the most out of a melodic soundscape. Anyone who knows Steve Overland’s solo studio albums will find »Rockville II« instantly familiar.
The songs on »Rockville II« that stray a little from what you’d expect from FM are the opener »High«, twisted into the compact warmth of a funk rhythm, then, in the middle of the album, »Runaway Train«, dressed up in an oriental melodic hairdo (an instrumental prelude, »Desolation Station«, leads us into it), which is also more the exception than the rule when it comes to the musical character of bands like FM. The third more noticeable departure from the usual FM style on the predecessor, that is the album »Rockville«, comes with the closing »Last Chance Saloon«, with its »heartland rock« outline. Maybe the guys listened to some Eagles in their youth.
»High« is an old song. It goes back to the SO! project, a joint venture between singer Steve Overland and drummer Pete Jupp, which put out the album »Brass Monkey« in 2000. The original version of »High« is on that album. For »Rockville II« it naturally got a thorough makeover, done the »a la FM« way. The funk outline is so decisive that the soul paradigm carried by Overland’s vocal character fits like a glove. With a musical backdrop and rhythm like that, even His Excellency, »The Voice Of Rock« himself, Mr. Glenn Hughes, would feel right at home. Overland is, in fact, a similar type of singer, alongside Lee Small (Shy, Surveillance) and Keith Murrell (Airrace).
»Rockville II« is convincing across the board, too! In terms of the dynamic sonic warmth of the production, the liveliness of the lead structures in the melodic forms, and the infectious chorus hooks. Overland once again delivers brilliantly on the emotional front. And as long as FM keep churning out songs as great as »Big Addiction« on »Rockville II«, which is especially impressive for its mature upgrade of brilliant arrangement solutions (the keyboards carry the outline of the good old days of The Who), there’s no fear that FM could miss the mark with new material. Not only are they far too experienced, they also know all too well that any kind of experimenting would lead to the band’s instant musical suicide.
Two albums within 14 days. More releases, even more media buzz. Clearly, FM’s creativity is at its peak in the band’s golden years. Putting out two studio albums back to back is a sweeping, bold move, a straight-up dream for the “surviving” fans, and at the same time it hints that FM couldn’t care less whether it turns out to be a good or bad business decision. FM’s years of chasing the cash ended with the close of the eighties. They simply felt this was the best way to go. The fear is gone. All that’s left is the wish to give yourself and your audience the best you’ve got, and to do it as sincerely as you can, which is to say honestly and authentically. After what they’ve shown on »Rockville II«, it’s clear we won’t be waiting long for the band’s next studio album. An album of great creative merit. Just like »Rockville« and »Rockville II«.
Line-up
Steve Overland – vocals, guitar
Jim Kirkpatrick – guitar, backing vocals
Jem Davis – keyboards
Merv Goldsworthy – bass guitar, backing vocals
Pete Jupp – drums, backing vocals
Production
FM
Track list
1. High
2. Big Addiction
3. Guilty
4. Desolation Station
5. Runaway Train
6. Living for the Weekend
7. Forever & a Day
8. Highway Paradise
9. Brother Take Me Home
10. Last Chance Saloon
