Father President
Fake It Like You Mean It
Light Rail Records [2013]
Fire Note Says: Father President crank up the melody and the guitars on Fake It Like You Mean It.
Album Review: San Francisco’s Father President is another one of those great new guitar bands that have come from out of nowhere to become a favorite at The Fire Note. Fake It Like You Mean It, the band’s third album, sounds like what you would get if you combined Weezer, Archers of Loaf, and American Music Club, and sprinkled in some Guided By Voices to top it all off. It’s an intriguing mix of influences that on the surface seems like it might be too good to be true. I’m here to tell you, it’s not too good to be true, it IS true.
“Citizen Scientist” is a 1:47 burst of Weezer influenced rock, but what sets it apart from other copycat bands is that Father President isn’t trying to copy the Weezer sound, it’s catchy, with plenty of singalong lyrics, but the guitars are completely different. They buzz in a way that has much more in common with Archers of Loaf, it’s much more aggressive and weirdly angular in a way that Weezer is not. “Helicopter Eyes” shows off a mellower side of the band, the song is still catchy, and the guitars still hit hard at times, but overall it is a more laid back vibe. That vibe continues with “Houston”, another standout track that starts quietly, and slowly builds throughout the track and drops out, switches direction, then charges ahead again. The song has multiple sections to it, and is quite impressive in its structure. “Japanese Car Specialist” is another uptempo number that features the quiet verses, loud chorus song structure to great effect. Every time these guys drop the guitar out and then bring it back in loud and hard makes me want to do a giant fist pump. They do it often, and they do it well!
Fake It Like You Mean It is really one long highlight. Of particular note is closing track Arab Springsteen, which clocks in at nearly 5:30, and is easily the longest song on the record. It goes through so many different sections and features some of the most impassioned guitar and vocals on the album, that by the time you get to the lo-fi sonic collage fade out, you are completely spent as a listener, yet eager to hit repeat and start the whole album over again.
Key Tracks: “Citizen Scientist”, “Arab Springsteen”, “Help Me Rwanda”
Artists With Similar Fire: Weezer / Archers of Loaf / Guided by Voices
Father President Website
Father President Facebook
Light Rail Records
-Reviewed by Kevin Poindexter
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, I am extremely proud of the area I grew up in and the influence it has had on the world at large, from the Wright Brothers to Robert Pollard, the area has been a center of innovation both technologically and artistically. During my college years at the University of Dayton, I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the local music scene, a period of time in the early to mid 90's that coincided with the rise of bands like Guided by Voices, Brainiac, and The Breeders, who added to the rich musical legacy of the area. Dayton is also the hometown of many giants of funk in the 70's and is also the birthplace of Jazz greats Billy Strayhorn, John Scofield and Bud Shank. I wrote extensively for The Fire Note, a great online magazine focused on indie rock, in the 2010's while simultaneously being a partner in Rockathon Records, before retiring from both in 2018. In 2024, my thoughts turned back to helping at Rockathon and more importantly to pick back up on my writing, and more specifically to write about my love of jazz. I'm always listening, always searching for something new, something great. It's been a lifelong journey, and I still feel like there is so much out there to hear.
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
- Kevin Poindexterhttps://thefirenote.com/author/kpoindexter/
