Fanfarlo signed to Major Record Label

Earlier this year I found out that one of my favorite bands, Fanfarlo, was signed to a major record label. Sony I believe. This created a conundrum. Fanfarlo to me represents everything I love about music. Their songs are intelligent and well crafted (even their band name is a literary reference), they're charismatic and humble, and they're talented at their instruments (however many that may actually be). I first found out about Fanfarlo from Eardrums Music blogs compilation project where Fanfarlo's song and later single "Harold T. Wilkins" was featured on their fall themed compilation A Good Crop. It's mandolin laden intro had me convinced of the song's amazingness even before the first verse began. After that first listen, I'm not ashamed to say that I listened to the song pretty much repetitively after that. As for Fanfarlo themselves, the once-sextet-now-five-piece British indie pop-ers are a breath of fresh air in what seems to be an increasing generic sounding music industry. Based off the traditional rock standard of guitar, bass, drums, they also add in violin, trumpet, glockenspiel, mandolin, melodica, clarinet, whatever's necessary actually in a way that's not overwhelming but merely creates music that is enjoyable to listen to. Music that hooks the listener and makes them just want to listen to it for awhile. Only after actually listening for the lyrics (a feat that still took me looking up the lyrics to get) do you realize how genius the band is. Harold T. Wilkins is about what can only be called a ficitionalized account of the life of real life alien expert Harold T. Wilkins. Lead singer Simon Balthasar's somewhat strange yet entrancing voice describes the story of a lonely man who doesn't feel he belongs constant packing and repacking waiting for someone or something to come and spirit him away to someplace better. Who hasn't felt something like that before? It's almost a year to the day that Fanfarlo first self-released their debut album Reservoir and what with it's re-release and their recent string of US tours, and late night television performances, the future looks bright for these literate pop darlings. Perhaps their signing is a sign in and of itself; of new and excitingly legitimate stirring in the popular music realm. I'm no fortune teller but with a band like Fanfarlo around I think we can do more than just hope.

Though the overall results of Fanfarlo's major signing have yet to be seen, one benefit of it is a spiffy new music video: