Good Luck Have Fun - Mother Falcon
3rd album
released October 9, 2015 on Universal Music Classics
Overall rating: 10/10
Mother Falcon is a band that I’ve been following since the middle of my freshman year, about four years ago. Since then, I’ve seen them in concert three times and developed somewhat of a friendship with the members. So needless to say, when I heard the announcement for the release of their first album since 2013, I was pretty excited.
Mother Falcon formed in 2008 as the brainchild of lead cellist Nick Gregg. Determined to make classical instruments (especially cello) as cool as high school sports, Nick got together some of the fellow orchestra students at his high school and others in the area to form a sort of classical music jam band. After receiving critical acclaim in their hometown of Austin Mother Falcon never dreamed that their music would reach outside of Texas. After an intense NPR Tiny Desk Concert and national press from everything from The Washington Post to The New York Times, Mother Falcons success took of.
Good Luck Have Fun, their newest album showcases the expansive opportunities that Mother Falcon has to offer. The first half of the album stays true to Mother Fallon's signature sound, lots of strings, horns, and dreamy vocals from other core members Claire Puckett and Tamir Kalifa.Some standout tracks from this half of the album include the dark and fervent “Water” and the brass-heavy standout (and my personal favorite) “Quiet Mind”.
The second half of the album abandons lyrics altogether, opting instead for something called the “Starnation Suite”, a piece of music written specifically \s the score for an upcoming documentary about competitive gaming. Accordion filled “Day 9” and lethargic “BoxeR” make this side of the album give off the feeling of the emotional instability of a video game battle scene.
One would think that splitting the album in two would lead to it sounding disconnected and more like two separate works rather than one concise piece of music. However, Mother Falcon’s Good Luck Have Fun breaks this stereotype and creates something identifiable.
