Falcon
From the ingeniously titled first track, ‘The Opener’, you can already establish that The Courteeners are on familiar ground. An acoustic, plucked intro begins plaintively enough; not until Liam Fray’s gruff vocals does the track gather momentum. When Fray endears himself to the listener by regaling tales of returning home after trips to the likes of LA and Dundee there is an almost tangible sense of escape without the true desire to leave, whether from a loved one, their native Mancunia or Blighty itself. As such this is an easy candidate to launch their upcoming tours, if only to prove their scope now lies beyond Fallowfield yet still keeping their roots in mind.
Whilst the sound may be disappointingly comparable, ‘Take Over The World’ proves that what Falcon lacks in imagination it more than makes up for in ballsy ambition. An indelible poise emerges from straightforward piano and a drummed heartbeat that gift such arrogantly baffling statements noted credibility. Some habits die hard and at times Fray’s songwriting draws scrutiny from titbits. ‘Cross My Heart & Hope To Fly’ may include more cocksure sentiment and even an sanguine string section but phrases such as "Are you taking the piss?" and "Fuck right off into the middle of the sky" can be taken straight from a notebook commandeered from an ASBO.
‘You Overdid It Doll’ will be the track to serenade their return to such Manchester landmarks as 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, with suitable tommygun references. That is not to besmirch an effervescent guitar riff and an appealing storyline of debauched behaviour from a darling. Such over-exuberance finally gives way to subtlety during ‘Lullaby’ as piano becomes the lead star in a track prominent, not for its Chanel then Night and Day reference, but a blossoming lyrical eloquence from Fray.
A return to raucous form occurs with ‘Good Times Are Calling’, even if Fray again yearns to be closer to a favourite who happens to be in London whilst he admits to having the time of his life in Manchester. The theme of displacement seems a perplexing one, seemingly confessing that Falcon may well take them to the far flung reaches of the globe, the band themselves might become homesick.
The lonely, acoustic refrains of ‘The Rest Of The World Has Gone Home’ come as a surprise given the crackling vulnerability of Fray's touching vocals. Yet again his poignantly personal lyrics suggest frustration at being let down by a girl he should trust and drug abuse again rears its ugly head. ‘Sycophant’ is quite the opposite; armed with a searing guitar riff, a snarling Fray scorns ire over contemptuous looks from the sort of wannabe trend setting strangers that populate Deansgate.
‘Cameo Brooch’ see’s another brief return to the simple, rewarding piano-led approach which tugs at the heartstrings then aims for the stars in a manner which would suit their fellow Mancunians, Elbow. Even the heroic chorus suggests Snow Patrol and such a daring refrain again proves that Falcon may edge the band closer to arenas. Fray seemingly cannot escape references to a separating distance as ‘Scratch Your Name Upon My Lips’ has the frontman stifling the desperate urge to be with yet another loved one to chugging bass-lines and echoed backing vocals. Clearly Fray cannot keep his mind off the women; ‘Last Of The Ladies’ again has the fairer sex for a theme with praise showered to solemn piano.
As has become de rigueur, a delicate track is then followed by a reaffirming stormer; in this case closer ‘Will It Be This Way Forever’. What seems perplexing is not the choice for the track to conclude the album but that it has taken this long for lead guitar to emerge from the shadows. When Fray spits lines such as "Naive, young and not too clever. Why it be this way forever?" you can argue that the target of the lyrics are not the posturing types he encounters in town now but himself only a few years ago. String sections typically swell in the milieu but that egotistical guitar licks can be so seldom heard until now hints at how far the band have come. Falcon may be familiar yet it marks a brave step forward for these intrepid Mancunians.