Mighty Fairly plays indie folk pop with a little edge, and some humor. They hail from the frozen northern tundra of Minneapolis, MN and have been playing together since 2004. The first album was pretty impressive with loud hooks and harmonies (listen to the terrific “Wake Up” on the website), this new album is called “Big Words and Power Chords” and I guess it’s meant to be ironic. Other than the nice opening single “Falling To Pieces,” the other songs are just missing the hooks that keep things memorable. The band does provide a good mix of electric and acoustic songs, male/female harmonies, and neat arrangements, but what is missing here is the energy and freshness that made 2006’s Perfectly Good Airplanes a lot of fun to listen to. The lyrics and themes are still great fun here as “Overachiever” is sung to someone who is arrogant and “free of mediocrity…” And songs like “Simple Minded” have that early hip REM vibe, but other songs are too busy setting up a storyline (“Shadow”) or setting up a mood (“Alaska”) to encourage repeat listens. This band certainly has talent, and although not as clever as They Might Be Giants, they are less geeky and are sure to improve.
My Space | Mightyfairly website | Not Lame