Fucked Up: David Comes to Life
When a band has a name like Fucked Up, certain expectations are formed before a song even starts. But how many of us would automatically prepare for a rock opera that shrieks and crashes on for nearly an hour and a half?
David Comes to Life is an exciting, sprawling epic that combines beauty and brash noise, harmonic vocals with endless shouts. Each of the four acts is charged with an undeniable energy and focus that put Fucked Up ahead of less ambitious peers.
Where David Comes to Life falls a bit short is in its delivery. Taken as a “rock opera” with descriptive titles for its tracks and acts, the record must have a clear storyline. However, this can be difficult to untangle from the more aggressive vocals. Curious listeners or longtime fans will invest the energy to learn the plot, but for the casual audience, such nuance is lost in the cacophony.