Farewell Continental : ¡Hey, Hey Pioneers!

Farewell Continental is an indie band from Minneapolis Minnesota. Some refer to them as “Justin Pierre from Motion City Soundtrack’s side project.” This is far from what the band is because they offer a much more unique sound than Motion City Soundtrack has to offer. Don’t worry Motion City Soundtrack fans, Pierre is still fully committed to the band, this is just a side project.

The band released an EP earlier and now has finally capitalized with their debut album ¡Hey, Hey Pioneers! This is an album that may take a few listens to get the full feel, but it is a fun ride nonetheless. Justin Pierre has his strange and unique lyrics complimented with a female vocalist, Allie Fox and she is a very talented singer. The guitar riffs are fun and fast, the drum beats worthy of head bobbing your head to, and the bass smooth and groovy. This means each song is indeed catchy which is always a big plus. The album starts with the song Seasoned Veterans which was more of a mellow track and not a great way to start the album, it leaves the listener worried that this is how the whole album will be, but listeners do not give up because it indeed get better. Instantly when the songs over a catchier song, Capybara follows and makes you forget all about the first track.  Who’s The Boss? Is the next track and it is more of a punk rock sounding track. It is fast and in your face music. The risen tempo is a nice change, but this track could easily be forgotten after you get through the album. The next track The Greatest Of All time (How You Feelin’ Now) is one of my favorites on the track. It is a fun little duet between Pierre and Fox. It sounds to a veteran in war singing back to his loved one back home and it is beautifully written. Skipping ahead to the track A Story From The Bottom of The Sea sounds just like a nice folk tale. When listening to it you imagine a story being sung to you at camp around the campfire. It’s a different kind of song and may go unrecognized.

The track New Tile Floor is more of a slow song with clean guitar and a fun drum beat. The slower tempo is a great way to slow down the album and the song has both singers singing about one another going back and forth making for an interesting concept. Immediately after breaks a fast song Radio, Radio: Are You Getting This? This song is on the top of must listen because the catchy chorus which has a pop like sound and easy to sing along to. The verses go without notice because of the anticipation to the fun toe-tapping chorus. During the bridge has a strange spoken word part, which describes the band a bit and comes really out of nowhere leaving you a little confused, but not too bothered because hey here comes the chorus again! A stranger track is I Feel Everything (Can You Feel It As Well?). This was not a favorite track for me, but big indie fans may like the style of it. A large part of the song Pierre and Fox sing together at the same time and they do not have the most enjoyable sounding homophonic texture to their voices.  The album ends with the song Tiger Claw and it is slightly disappointing. With such a unique album I felt like it built up great and slowly the climax went down. The song begins with a bass riff; drumbeat and Pierre sing talking. It is a really unique style he has where he is talking and singing at the same time, hard to explain. The chorus finally kicks in and the singers have a polyphonic style with heavily distorted guitar chords. It goes back to the strange verse style and back to the chorus with a twangy sounding guitar solo and before you know it, it’s over.

Farewell Continental overall is a pretty unique band. They have fun silly lyrics and indie sounding instruments. The songs can sometimes be repetitive of one another. Any fans of Justin Pierre’s music writing may have to check them out Also if you want to listen to a different kind of band, why not give them a shot? It is a good album to listen to in the car with the windows down on a nice sunny day. Final verdict is a 7 out of 10.

Highlight Tracks: Capybara, The Greatest Of All Time (How You Feelin’ Now), New Tile Floor, Radio, Radio: Are You Getting This? The Reflecting Skin.

Track List:

1.　Seasoned Veterans
2.　Capybara
3.　Who’s The Boss?
4.　The Greatest of All Time (How You Feelin’ Now?)
5.　Dagger, Dagger: Terror, Terror
6.　A Story From The Bottom Of The Sea
7.　Immolated
8.　New Tile Floor
9.　Radio, Radio: Are You Getting This?
10.　The Explorer Settles Down
11.　Mad Operator
12.　I Feel Everything (Can You Feel It As Well?)
13.　The Reflecting Skin
14.　Tiger Claw

James Lanham (Warsaw, Indiana)

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