I've gotta stop listening so closely to my first impressions. When I received a copy of F's latest release I thought I knew what it would sound like. With the dark cover art, a name like Hinterland, and a lead singer with a Marylin-esque look (of the Manson variety), I figured I had them pinned as a "I hate my mommy" devil-rock fad band. Well, I have to apologize to F and the rest of the quartet, because this CD is immensely better than my ignorant first impression.

While Hinterland is a relatively short album (my biggest complaint), there is so much depth in the lyrics and musicality of the six tracks that I had to listen to the CD several times to fully appreciate it. My first listen had me convinced that these guys were paying homage to the great U2, what with F's haunted, soaring voice and the moody, impassioned instrumentals provided by Dan Silver (keyboards), Jon Mattox (drums), and Steve Luxemberg (bass). After a few times through, however, I started to catch the subtle melodic tweaks and delicate samples that make this CD stand out on its own. Tracks like “From Here to There” sucked me in with their addictive harmonies, then kept me hitting repeat on my stereo until I caught all the clever lyrical twists that hide in each song.

There were only a handful of things that bugged me about Hinterland. For one, I really wanted to hear more. Six songs are enough to get a general idea of what a band can do, but no artist can show off their artistic range in that amount of space while keeping a sense of flow to the album. Also, the CD is darkly moody, in a Cure sort of way. It's a hypnotizing quality, but it can wipe you out when you're feeling weepy.

Truth be told, I had to work to find any bones to pick with Hinterland. F and his band have a sound that wraps you in its surprising depth, then gives you something new to look forward to each time you hit play. Yep; this one's a keeper.

www.fband.net