How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Good
Value for Money
Good
Advantages:
Excellent songs, examples of early work, rare, can be found for sale very cheap
Disadvantages:
Not available to buy any more, but can be bought on ITunes/ebay etc .
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
When Busted broke up, many a teenage girl cried. Their rock/pop sound thrilled thousands, and even managed to fill the biggest venues in the UK. But, ultimately, Charlie Simpson was fed up with the whole pop star image, and wanted to play music he actually enjoyed playing. 'They Liked You Better When You Were Dead' is the first release from Fightstar.
History ---------- Fighstar, formed in late 2003 after an inpromptu session at a house party at Simpsons house. Charlie, and friend Alex Westaway, along with drummer Omar Abidi decided to start Fightstar, and after recruiting Westaway's friend, bassist Dan Haigh began writing and recording material. Rehearsing whenever Simpsons busy schedule allowed, things quickly became serious, and a decision had to be made about the future of the band. Simpson left Busted in early 2005, and so Fightstar was born.
Fightstar have been given the dreaded 'Emo' tag by many journalists, but they are not emo. Combining elements of Hard Rock, Post Hardcore, and Metal, they aren't all switchblades and eyeliner, and neither do they sound like any other band out there at the moment. They are one of the best bands from the UK at the moment, if you ask me hehe
About the EP ------------------ Released on February 28th, 2005 and reprinted on March 23, 2005, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead contains 5 tracks, and an additional hidden track.
The band released one song from the EP - ''Palahnuik's Laughter'' which enjoyed heavy rotation on music channels such as Kerrang and Scuzz.
Track by Track ---------------------
Palahnuik's Laughter ------------------------------- Undoubtably, Fightstar's most popular song to date. Heavy, excellent drum work from Abidi, and brilliant loud-quiet moments make this the stand out track from the album. Simpson and Westaway's vocal work is amazing, showing how broad their vocal ranges can be. Westaway's screams towards the end of the song, along with Simpson's shouts give the feeling of power and are great to sing along to.
Key Lyric : ''All this time, I thought you knew..''
Speak Up -------------- Heavy. Excellent riffs, and amazing shouting/screaming/wails from the vocalists make this song the heaviest of the EP. Again excellent drumming and bass make the song complete.
Key Lyric : ''Speak up, stop ignoring the fact that you've let me down''
Mono -------- Epic.This six minute song is my favourite on the EP. The first 4 minutes are quiet and relaxed, gradually getting louder and more upbeat. Then, in come the crashing guitars and beat, an explosion of sound and warmth. The lyrics, are very sombre, but the mammoth guitar work, and drumming give the impression of victory over adversity. My favourite Fightstar song.
Key Lyric : ''I've started up the clocks, It's time I left behind..''
Lost Like Tears in the Rain --------------------------------------
Much like Speak Up, this song is a little on the heavier side, but is not without it's quiet parts. The lyrics are great and the repeating lyrics ''Let's start this all over again, with this new generation'' at the end of the song are great to sing along to.
Key Lyric : ''Cause I'm a thousand miles away, and I'm out of oxygen..''
Amethyst -------------- Another quiet-loud one. Beautiful melodies and vocals in the verses, and shouts in the chorus, and meaty riffs in the bridge, make this a great song. The piano work at the end is beautiful, and a great contrast to the other songs on the EP.
''Keep all the lights off, and I'll try to kill our past time, just to find your heart''
Hazy Eyes (Hidden Track) ----------------------------------- Westaways higher pitched vocals, paired with Simpsons rougher voice, work in perfect harmony on this song. Amazing drum work from Abidi, and great guitar work make this another great song.
Key Lyric : ''That look across your face, distorted, crushed and hazy eyed, f*** your white lies''
The Final Verdict ------------------------
So is this EP worth your money? If you're a fan of the band, then yes, definitely. Even though all the songs, except Palahnuik's Laughter, Speak Up and Amethyst appear on their album (Grand Unification), it is still worth it. It's always great to hear early material from a band, and this EP does not disapoint.
If you are wanting to purchase the EP, then I bid you good luck. It was only printed in limited amounts, as is the case with most EPs, and therefor is quite hard to come by. It is available on iTunes for the bargain price of £1.49 (correct at time of writing), which for 6 songs, is pretty good! You could buy it on ebay, or a similar online auction site, but my guess is that a copy doesn't go up for sale very often.
I'd recomend Fighstar to fans of similar-ish bands, such as Funeral For a Friend, or Finch.
