Label: Montegro
Year: 2013
Home: England
Members: Nik Milan ~ guitar/vocals
David Gaut ~ bass
Simon Mooney ~ drums
Additional: female b. vocals ~ n/a
In their promotional materials FD1 claim to be influenced by Nirvana ... & they aren't bragging but being honest about their sound. I wrote that before reading FD1's bio that says they were formed in April 2013 a year after forming the Nirvana tribute band This Is Nirvana. FD1's debut is Nirvana channeled through original songs & is worth checking out. This might be the first time I've heard a band name check Nirvana as an influence & actually mean it. Usually bands list an array of musicians they like but not sound like, except on some sub-atomic level only they hear, such as the band that says they sound like Hendrix meets Linda Ronstadt with a touch of Trans-Siberian Orchestra & Charlie Watts. I'd really like to hear that one. You know it'll be over the top with a steady drum beat. FD1 for most of their debut score large in the homage department & I would be interested to hear This Is Nirvana. I don't expect to be disappointed. But, this is original music & there are differences. There's no moaning vocals, though the vocals are upfront & push the songs forward. The guitars & bass do have that thick sound like rolling waves that Nirvana trademarked, while solos are kept to a minimal if not tucked under fuzz. Their website reads: "For Kurt, Dave & Krist. In Gratitude." FD1 are classy & Nirvana is being well honored here ... & the frontman even looks a bit like Kurt. One of the great things about the 90's music scene a la Nirvana was it was emotive but not angry like the metal scene. It was punk but not out of control like the Sex Pistols. The music was angsty but not alienating. FD1 have gotten that sound down. "Keep Me Breathing" with its sludge of early Soundgarden & the single "Move Like The Sea" are highlights, along with "Melissa" & "I'm Singing My Blues". "Jastreb" is an angry piece more Mudhoney, but being dark feels out of place. There are some weak parts to the album & they all share the trait of being more original than Nirvana-esque. But, they lose a distinctive sound & become more generic alt rock (i.e. "In Vain", "Memories Of Amsterdam" & "Waiting For The Summertime"). The best approach would have been to make a strong Nirvana-esque EP of hard-hitting music, but FD1 decided to take things in a different direction & the results distract poorly from their strengths making half the album strong & half not so. Take a listen to the Nirvana-esque songs & leave the numerous acoustic songs alone. "Once Brothers", "Reflections", "One More Time", "For Whom The Bells Toll" are acoustic alt rockers with one or two working as a good coda for the album or maybe collecting these for a live album, but they generally lack a distinctive guitar sound or memorable melodies, the things that make the other songs so strong. The orchestra flourishes add little & one or two acoustic pieces would have been better but too many tilts the boat. "Letting Go" is a bit more interesting because its countrified acoustic with backing vocals. It's the most interesting acoustic piece because it's the only one with a real distinct personality & playing style.
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