FM – ‘Synchronized’

As I write this review, the Coronavirus COVID-19 has literally brought the world to a standstill. Whole countries are in lockdown with schools, businesses and many public places closed. Shopping for essentials has become an arduous task and even a simple leisurely walk (with appropriate social distancing!) is a luxury. The music industry has suffered too with tours and festivals cancelled and prominent artists delaying recording of new albums. One chart-bothering star even took to social media to moan about being self-isolated in his £12 million mansion! Dignity, integrity and perspective lost in one ill-advised post!

Fortunately, this horrendous virus hasn’t completely removed music from our lives. Some artists are offering free live acoustic sets from their homes and many new albums are still being released for our listening pleasure. One such album is ‘Synchronized’, the new offering by British melodic rockers FM. Ok, the release date has been delayed by a month or so until May as a result of the current situation but it’s still going to be heard sooner rather than later. When Steve Overland (vocals and guitar), Merv Goldsworthy (bass), Pete Jupp (drums), Jem Davis (keyboards) and Jim Kirkpatrick (guitars) recorded this album, they couldn’t have begun to even consider the tumultuous times we’re now living in! The question is… will this new slice of UK melodic rock help to brighten these often-dark days, even just a little bit?

“Sound waves reaching the microphone are changed into impulses of electric current”. These spoken words are the first sound you hear on the opening track, lead single and title track of ‘Synchronized’ before the point is well and truly made by all members of the band seconds into the song! A guitar power chord, a crash of a symbol and bass drum, a marching bass line and an 80s sounding keyboard stab introduce the album before making way for the still golden voiced Steve Overland! The verse is funky with a prominent bass by Goldsworthy and the signature backing vocal refrain towards the chorus. The synths mimicking a horn section whilst mirroring the chorus vocals is a cool touch reminiscent of Aerosmith’s funkier moments in what is a superb album opener.

Second track ‘Superstar’ starts with a crack of Jupp’s snare with the rest of the band joining in with a song that’s not a ballad but equally isn’t a rocker! It’s a steady, mid-tempo song with lyrics about a special woman in someone’s life. Again, I can’t help but notice the prominence of the bass, something I feel is often overlooked in music. The keyboards of Jem Davis provide a bed for the rest of the music and whilst not immediately noticeable, the song would be missing something without them, particularly in the bridge section before Jim Kirkpatrick’s guitar solo. To my ears, the next track ‘Best of Times’ begins with a Joe Walsh/Steve Miller vibe, possibly due to the guitar sound and chord structure. The beginning of the first verse is Overland’s faultless vocals accompanied only by guitar before the others join in. The title and indeed the general sound suggest a positive song but lyrically it appears to be about a breakup, albeit concentrating on the good times the cursed couple enjoyed!

‘Ghost of You and I’ is exactly what I expected; a song about lost love. A piano-led intro with superbly controlled and genuinely heart-breaking vocals make way for a lighters-in-the-air chorus. Lyrics such as “Now I sleep every night with the ghost of you and I. Every time I close my eyes, I can see you lying here with me right by my side” or the quietly sung “I love you” backing vocals are exactly what the song needs. On an emotional song like this, it would’ve been easy for Jim Kirkpatrick to milk the guitar solo moment but instead he delivered a short and effective solo that leads to a climatic key change before the song fades out with some quietly haunting piano. Frankly, Steve Oveland’s vocals are outstanding on this. Soppy? Oh yes! One of the strongest tracks on the album? In my opinion, yes… but I’m a sucker for a heart-tugging ballad! The next track ‘Broken’ was

recently released as the album’s second single and picks the pace back up after the previous ballad. It’s a good going rocker that makes good use of the 80s synth-pop sounding keyboards and rhythm guitars with Pete Jupp’s simple but powerful drumbeat keeping the song moving along. Jupp is a phenomenal drummer and one his strengths is that he never overplays. He keeps it straightforward and gives the band what they need without trying to hog the limelight.

As the album reaches the midpoint with the sixth track, I have to admit to being hooked and ‘Change for the Better’ reels me in even more. Starting with a fairly atmospheric but standard AOR ballad-type intro, the song bursts into a feel good West Coast LA sound that would’ve be been perfectly at home on the soundtrack of a number of late 80s movies! The opening lyrics further cement this; “I’ve been driving down this highway… I wanna make it back to you”. In Scottish parlance, it’s a belter of a tune and could very well feature in my summer driving soundtrack… assuming we’re all allowed out of the house by then! With that comment in mind, next track ‘End of Days’ is strangely prophetic when we consider the current situation the world finds itself in! Starting with an organ and sound bites of what appears to be news reports of terrorist attacks etc, it’s a bit like U2’s ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ merging with The Who’s ‘Baba O’Reilly’! You’ll have to hear it to understand what I mean! From there on in, it’s the classic FM sound with a nice instrumental interplay in the bridge between guitar and keyboard. With climate change, economic meltdown and pandemic viruses, lyrics telling us to “change our ways to spare us all the end of days” are probably more relevant now than they’ve ever been before.

Whether followings a track about the end of days with another one called ‘Pray’ was deliberate or not, I don’t know. But it’s probably a good shout! Naturally starting with a gospel sound (what else with that title?!) courtesy of some Jem Davis keyboards/organ, this track builds into something special. “What ya gonna do, if it’s too little too late? You’d better pray” implores Steve Overland with the most soulful of vocals. Again, I can’t help but notice Merv Goldsworthy’s bass appearing to be higher in the mix than usual. There’s a tunefulness to the rhythm he brings and it really adds something to tracks such as this. It’s pretty impossible not to tap your feet to this one! Track number nine, ‘Walk Through The Fire’ sounds strangely like the Mr Mister classic ‘Broken Wings’ at the start . Keyboards, a dancing bass, an electronic drum sound… it’s all there; but that’s where similarities end. The chorus and subject matter are fairly standard AOR and there’s a chance for guitarist Kirkpatrick to shine a bit. It’s a good track and I could see it being a great one live but it’s nothing groundbreaking.

On ‘Hell or High Water’, Overland shows he’s not all smooth and soulful vocals. He can rasp like any hard rock singer when he needs to! There’s a Journey feel to this track with a sing along chorus and live audiences will clap along to it, hands held aloft. The pace slows down a bit for penultimate track ‘Angels Cried’, a soulful number in the vein of ‘Lean on Me’, ‘With a Little Help from my Friends’ or that type of song. You get the idea! It builds to a crescendo with a great bluesy guitar solo by Jim Kirkpatrick and some brilliant backing vocals. This could well become a fan favourite! The album is closed by ‘Ready for Me’, a brooding rocker that has a modern edge whilst still being comfortably FM. All members of the band have a chance to be heard here. Goldsworthy’s driving bass, the keyboards of Davis prominent in the mix, hard hitting drums by Jupp, a scorching solo by Kirkpatrick and of course, Overland doing what Overland does! If this album was a live concert, there would be no other track to end it with! It is literally, the perfect track to bring the album to a conclusion.

Since reforming with the current line up in 2010, this is the seventh full length album released by FM (albeit Indiscreet 30 was a re-recording). That’s a lot of albums in only a decade, especially when you consider they were no slouches in their 80s/90s heyday. To my ear, the newer recordings have gone from strength to strength, with each new album bringing different sounds and fresh ideas whilst maintaining the original FM sonic experience that is so important to fans and to the legacy of UK

melodic rock. ‘Synchronized’ brings all the sounds and ideas of the past decade of recording together into one album. By doing that, not only has FM released one of the finest melodic rock albums of the last few years… they’ve potentially made one of the best in their almost 35 year career. Don’t let the current social distancing rules keep you away from this album. When it’s out, you’re going to want to get close to it! ‘Synchronize’ your watches for the May release date!