Something Big is About to Happen
The opening piano strains of "Overexposure," which opens this fine debut EP by Southern Indiana's The Fervor, sound so much like they were written by a fellow named John Lennon that I almost let it be a distraction.
Then Natalie Felker's beautifully imperfect voice came through my speakers and just about knocked me down. This wonderfully arranged song is like four minutes of emotional ecstasy, at least until you absorb the lyric: "Blood is spilling out / Numbness setting in / Overexposure to the end." Then you'll like it better.
And it's not even the best song on the CD.
"The Same," which is the track immediately following, starts off with an ironic call for the end of the world, with one minor caveat in the protagonist's request. And Felker pulls it off so effectively, that you believe every word she sings: "I can't wait 'til they blow us all away / `Til we all evaporate further into space ... So long as it all stays the same."
The Fervor has a way of looking at trivial things through eyes that see a bigger picture surrounding each of these trivialities. "Fast" is a beautiful example of this, as it looks at mundane objects and activities, laments "all this wasted time," and quietly asserts that it's time to start living. Fast.
And "Boyfriend" is an almost eerie account of a woman cheating on her boyfriend with one of said boyfriend's close friends. Felker's delivery is like that from one who is at once participating in the event and standing above watching the event transpire, while simultaneously fighting off the guilt of cheating on someone she cares about and trying to understand her attraction to the man with whom she's cheating.
Each of these five songs is a ballad, each is filled with those aforementioned Lennon-esque melodies, but each has its own soul. The pace is sleek, the arrangements are exquisite and the production is understated but vital. (Kudos to producer Kevin Ratterman, who also provided instrumental backing.)
The Fervor, which is the brainchild of Felker and husband/bassist Ben Felker, has created something here that feels like the beginning to something much, much bigger.
Get the skinny over at www.myspace.com/thefervor.