Your History Is Mine: 2002-2009 Review

Released: Sep 28, 2009
Genre: Post-Hardcore
Label: Atlantic
Number Of Tracks: 36
The definative collection of Funeral for a Friend songs, this album gives you a staggering 36 tracks by one of the finest alternative bands around.

Sound:	10
Lyrics:	10
Impression:	10
Overall rating:	10
Users rating:	8.2
Comments:	16

Reviewed by: unregistered, on october 02, 2009

Sound: The definative collection of Funeral for a Friend songs, this album gives you a staggering 36 tracks by one of the finest alternative bands around. Each track oozes quality and, whether you're a new fan or old Funeral have complied a great list for everyone. The catchy hooks and wonderfully harmoized choruses accompanied by vocalist Matthew Davies unique vocals provide you with all that is best in Funeral For a Friend. Often complex in construction (if that's your thing) each song has a very solid feel, each hammering out its own emotion. The new four tracks in question (No Honour Among Thieves, Built to Last, Wrench, Captains of the Industry) are certainly great tracks and well deserve their place on the album. In particular "No Honour Among Thieves" and "Wrench" show that even after a reshuffle Funeral for a Friend are still certainly on form. The songs echo back some of the sounds heard in their hit album release "Hours" and are infectiously catchy.

Notably different from the rest of the tracks is perhaps "Captains of Industry" which crosses over a slighty rougher, grimier side remaniscent of "Waterfall Dance Club" from their previous album "Memory and Humanity". // 10

Lyrics and Singing: Vocalist Matthiew Davies has a lot of material to cover in 36 tracks! Given that the songs range over such a long length of time (2002-2009) there is plently of variation and dynamics to Davies' lyrics. Funeral for a Friend are often recognised for their passionate lyrics, discussing love, the fears of growing up (and old), family and even God. The new tracks again explore meaningful subjects, particularly "Captains of Industry" which enforces not only a triumphant message in the song but also a brilliantly strong performance from Mr. Davies too. // 10

Impression: Funeral for a Friend are unlike any band that has stepped foot in the limelight in recent years and releases a huge compilation of truly great tracks. Taking the best from all their work, every track will have fans (particularly the older ones) shaking their fists along to tracks by a band that has hugely impacted the music scene. On top of that, the bands descision to release 4 new tracks to "test the water" has been a great move on their part and shows that a band that has been going for some time now still has a brilliant passion for their work.

Pros: THE definative collection of Funeral for a Friend songs, 4 brilliant new tracks to keep you interested. A huge selection of songs that really makes this CD worth the buy.

Cons: The 4 new tracks simply leave me wanting more! // 10

Comments

[IRFLAMZEZ]

Hours was awesome loved it, this is a raw release aswell, good buy

[AngryGoldfish]

The last two Funeral albums, notably Memory and Humanity, were downright awful. I know it's just my opinion, and a lot of folks prefer the new material to the old, but I've never seen a band lose it as much as FFAF have. I've been a fan since the EP. They have certainly changed. Even the live shows are substandard now.
I'm all for progression in a group, but I'd rather they quit or stayed the same than going all poppy and cliched.

imho

[Pwnage Engage]

AngryGoldfish wrote:

The last two Funeral albums, notably Memory and Humanity, were downright awful. I know it's just my opinion, and a lot of folks prefer the new material to the old, but I've never seen a band lose it as much as FFAF have. I've been a fan since the EP. They have certainly changed. Even the live shows are substandard now.
I'm all for progression in a group, but I'd rather they quit or stayed the same than going all poppy and cliched.

imho

i've actually found that most ppl like their old stuff more. i know i do. there new stuff is still okay...i just wish that their newer albums would have been mostly like their older stuff, but the singles like Rules and Games and Kicking and Screaming would still be on there

[Fender700]

"Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation" was by far my favorite album. "Rookie of the Year" and "Bend your Arms to Look like Wings" helped me get through a really rough time years ago.

[qotsa1998]

Hours is a pretty good album I think. Their older stuff is harder by far than their newer stuff, so I'd see why most people would prefer it. And I believe you mean "Waterfront Dace Club", not Waterfall. At least Waterfront Dance Club took them back closer to their older stuff, and wasn't more of the Tales-type stuff. I completely skipped that album after listening to Hours for so long. But Im glad their back closer to heavy, melodic-type stuff now.

[Dakkstar]

I hope the new songs prove to be better than anything from memory and humanity. I was a bit disappointed... That was the first time I heard a release by this band and was not happy.

[B455GU174R]

steve harris' son still in the band?

[ismellfunny13]

I heard Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation and I couldn't get into them then a few years later I listened to Memory and Humanity and I loved it.Now I listen to Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation which is my favorite with Memory and Humanity

[Muzak]

hmm, casually dressed and deep in conversation was good. Hours was a brilliant album.. but im sorry to say the one that came after, tales dont tell themselves, that put me off to the point where i havent even bothered to listen to memory and humanity yet. is it decent?

[Guy101]

I think M&H was a very decent solid effort, it seemed to encoporate all the different elements of their sound so far and I think it's a very enjoyable listen. It sucks they turned all the screaming down though, that annoyed me. If the screaming in Constant Illuminations was louder that song would have been incredible. Saying all this, I still much prefer Seven Ways To SCream Your Name. Although Memory&Humanity is a step in the right direction, at least.

[lt22]

To be honest I didn't care at all for Memory and Humanity. Other than that, FFAF have consistently been a great band. Sadly they do seem to have faded a bit... CDADIC and Hours were amazing but after that the new stuff seems to be getting worse and worse.
For me at least.
Great release though.

[Fera_rawr]

Another pointless album pay for a huge load of songs you already own to get some 'new' songs (probably old material that they didn't release)when instead they could have released a 4 track e.p.
MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!

[lilscooter11]

Fera_rawr wrote:

Another pointless album pay for a huge load of songs you already own to get some 'new' songs (probably old material that they didn't release)when instead they could have released a 4 track e.p.
MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!

They still had to make one album on their contract, so they did a greatest hits. And why not? They have their own label, "Join Us" now, so they don't want to be making new material for a money grabbing major.

I like Memory and Humanity a lot, although it does have some rubbish tracks, but Maybe I Am, Constant Illuminations, Rules and Games, as well as the singles are all in with a shout surely?

The 4 new songs are very good though, and think their new bassist might save this band, Hondo Maclean was pretty cool, so I have every faith.

[mazurek]

good review fan boy. 10 10 10

[jy9626]

Memory and Humanity and Tales don't tel themselves, were good,okay, they had some great tracks. But CDDIC and Hours etc were just incredible. And I feel the 4 new songs are in some sense, going back to their roots in a slightly different direction (if you kno what i mean)O

[jy9626]

mazurek wrote:

good review fan boy. 10 10 10

But come on, this album is good.