The first moments of Fair To Midland’s Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True make you wonder if vocalist Darroh Suddereth suffers from some sort of multi-personality disorder. When his voice is vulnerable and vibrato-y, the equally quivery Martin Rossiter comes to mind. (Anybody still remember him? Rossiter sang woebegone Morrissey-lite songs, and his band Gene was one of the better The Smiths rip-offs). But when Suddereth switches to a low, guttural growl - as he does schizophrenically within the same song, “Dance of the Manatee” -- you realize his band actually fits with Serj (System of a Down) Tankian’s Serjical Strike label - at least part-time. Whatever the vocal inflection, however, you’d never in a millions years guess this to be a Texas band. Another group, Alabama, once decreed that it you want to play in Texas you better have a fiddle in the band. But nary a fiddle, an accent, or (more than likely) a Stetson is included here. At least with Alabama country tunes, I knew what the heck they were singing about. But Fair To Midland writes about seafarer’s knots, wolves, Eggmen, and manatee’s, oh my! Ah, but such are the fables of Fair To Midland’s construction.
-- Dan MacIntosh
