Farpoint is an American six-piece from the state of South Carolina driven by Christian religion and believe in a better world. Currently the band members are Rick Walker (drums, percussion), Dean Hallal (lead and backing vocals), Kevin Jarvis (keyboards, guitars, dulcimer, vocals), Dave Auerbach (lead and rhythm guitar) and Frank Tyson (bass guitar, vocals, whistling). The album Kindred also features the voice and flute of Jennifer Meeks, but she left the band in 2010 and was replaced by Abby Thompson. To give you an idea what the music of Farpoint is like, I wrote a few lines for the ten songs on Kindred. Calling Out is a song in the vein of The Alan Parsons Project and The Moody Blues containing a nice electric guitar solo in the middle-section. Still Water is a kind of mixture between a folk song and a radio-friendly tune, a bit in the vein of Mostly Autumn for the flute and the female vocals, and The Eagles for the close harmony singing. Unity is a short, happy and tuneful instrumental piece. Another Day is a rather simple pop song, but again with a fine electric guitar solo. In the beginning, the ten-minute piece Water Of Life is reminiscent of the American country rock band Poco. The middle-section is a 'happy and positive' duet between the electric guitar and the flute, almost archetypical for Christian music. In A Live For Him the admiration for Jesus Christ is expressed in an up-tempo rock song. The influences of Camel are evident in the instrumental flute song Indian Summer. Jennifer Meeks sings in By My Side about her faith in Christ. This song could have been composed about forty years ago when a children's choir sang in our church. The Moodies are back in Vacant Halls, one of the best songs on Kindred. There's a kind of mystic atmosphere hanging around this piece. It was the first time that I realized I was listening to a progressive rock tune! The final track Freedom Road is certainly not my favourite. It's rather dull and contains synths that are out of tune. The music on Kindred can be qualified as solid pop music without having any experimental drive. Or if you see it from their point of view: 'Kindred contains a collection of songs of positivity and introspection, exploring the relationships that affect our lives.' **+ Cor Smeets (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
