Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Framing Hanley: A Promise to Burn Review



May 25th, 2010, Tennessee rock band, Framing Hanley, released their second album, A Promise to Burn.

It’s been three years since they came out with their first album, The Moment, later was re-released in 2008 including a bonus cover track of, Lollipop, originally performed by Lil’ Wayne. That cover song was what brought Framing Hanley into the international spotlight and soon were acknowledged by the other songs on the album, like Hear Me Now and Built for Sin.

Their new album was indeed another hit, gaining new fans with their unique new sound. It may appear to be different from their previous album, but they still have the essence of what Framing Hanley had in the previous album. Songs like You Stupid Girl and Photographs and Gasoline has a little of The Moment that most of their fans really love.

A part from having similarities to their previous album, they had some differences that gained new fans, and probably lost a few. They add a few techno-style sounds to some of their songs and have a little more of a retro-alternative rock style going, different from their previous album, which was incredibly raw and refreshing with the new transition of what rock and alternative had become in previous years.

ut why tack on a near two-minute outro to that same song? The song climaxes perfectly with an echoed line upon being ‘finished’ but is them dragged down from it’s peak by seemingly useless outro. Perhaps as an album closer I could understand, as it would serve almost perfectly as a parallel to “Intro,” but with the real closer “The Burn” immediately after, it’s hard to understand the placement. My other major quibble with ‘A Promise to Burn’ is the song “Back To Go Again.” The track is certainly infectious enough to warrant a listen, but it seems to go against the mood of the album. “Back To Go Again” is poppy rock at it’s finest, and while Framing Hanley may have done a bang up job on it, it simply feels out of place on the disc.

That’s as far as my nitpicking goes however. My apology goes out to “Wake Up,” “WarZone,” “Fool With Dreams,” “Livin’ So Divine,” and “You,” because I feel nearly every song on this album deserves to be mentioned and praised. ‘A Promise to Burn’ is Framing Hanley’s potential being reached. It is a disc that is ambitious, does not shy away from variety, and has all of the earmarks of an album that will still be remembered a year from now, if not longer. I can’t begin to say enough good things about ‘A Promise to Burn’, but I will end where I began. This album is, quite simply, amazing.

first ever trip to the uk for our first tour over there...crowds were craaaaaazy and made us feel right at home with a sold out tour
can't wait to be back

Framing Hanley Visits The UK For The First Time


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