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tAKiDA – Falling From Fame

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Takida - Falling From Fame

Takida - Falling From Fame
3.7

Rating

 3.7/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Good instrumental and very good vocal performance
  • Very characteristic sound
  • No really bad song

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Neither (harder) rock sound nor mainstream album

When I scanned the Falling From Fame, the new album by Takida (or: tAKiDA, how they name themselves on their Facebook page), I immediately felt I have to share it with you. Not that surprising – the band has about 145k followers on this social media platform only. Here are my thoughts.

 

Takida – About The Artists

Takida is a Swedish rock / alternative rock band. They have been formed in 1999 in Ange, quite in the middle between Sundsvall and Östersund. The name tAKiDA is a transformation of the main character of the Japanese anime series Nagareboshi Gin. Currently, the band consists of six members. Robert Petterrsson is at the microphone, while Tomas Wallin and Mattias Larsson play the guitars. Kriistoffer Söderström is the drummer of tAKiDA. Chris Rehn is a multi-instrumentalist (e.g. bass and cello). It took them quite a while to release a full first album, … Make You Breathe in 2006. The first single Losing went up to the second spot in the charts and was also a huge factor that the album made it into the Top 10 in their home country. The following three albums, released between 2007 and 2001, all topped the Swedish charts and received a platinum record. The 2019 album Sju was the first album, which also had a significant chart placement outside their home country (Germany, #29). Overall, Falling From Fame is the band’s tenth album in the listings I got – it is, however, promoted as the eighth one.

 

Takida – Falling From Fame – Track by Track

The eleven track album lasts 41 minutes.

1. Goodbye

I’ll never find
I will never find my peace of mind
When will you say goodbye?

The album starts with one of the band’s singles from the Falling from Fame album. A really nice rock song with a lot of potential for a stadium rock classic at their shows. Promising beginning, indeed.

2. We Will Never Be

We Will Never Be is an almost hymnic track. Robert Pettersson is doing a really nice job on the microphone – the rest is done by some echo and his colleagues on the instruments. Good.

3. Meet Me Half Of The Way

Meet Me Half Of The Way is a very characteristic song for this album: the sound is really good, I love the vocal presence of Pettersson. On the other hand, the song just does not feel perfect: it misses some grip, some power, some special elements. You will remember that the song was not bad, but you might not remember the song. tAKiDA are not at their maximum potential.

4. You Will Never Leave Us Behind

That’s much closer to what I would expect this band should sound alike. From the beginning, the guitarists fire riffs like machine guns, the band is changing between melodic parts and sections for hard guitar lovers. One of the best songs of the album, indeed.

5. Feel You Falling Away

With Feel You Falling Away, the album is going back to rather emotional sounds – at least the verses feel a bit of soppy. Might not be a track which is popular at the leather and jeans jacket guys – but it could find some fans in mainstream radio stations. And here and there, the band is showing that they are proud rockers.

6. In Spite Of Everything

The second single on the album, In Spite Of Everything is a witty track, which is also comparably soft, if you think about previous releases of the band. The chorus and the bridge come with catching elements. Not a bad one, for sure.

7. Morning Sun

The first notes of Morning Sun almost feel like a dark Americana song. Overall, the track feels a bit too slow and repetitive (on the melodic side), before it significantly increases the energy level and turns into a rather catchy melody. Slow start, but powerful finale.

8. Let The Hammer Ring The Bell

That’s a perfect song for a long motorway. There are nice, powerful riffs, the drummer is hammering a nice rhythm and the Pettersson does a very reliable job anyway. The song just makes me enjoy what I am listening without really caring what the message of the song is. A bit of sad about it.

9. For The Last Time

One thing I struggle most about while listening to Falling From Fame are songs like For the Last Time. The song starts powerful, it reminds of previous, powerful works by the Swedish. The longer the song lasts, the more it receives a softer touch. Bad luck, I would love them to hold the energy level up high for these 3:16 minutes.

10. Reclaiming What Was Mine

Even thought the album is a bit too mainstream-ish in my point of view, there are songs like Reclaiming What Was Mine, which are real highlights. The key factor behind this catching track is again Pettersson, who is again doing a great presentation.

11. What You Never Knew

Okay, any rock album just needs a power ballad. What You Never Knew takes that role for Falling From Fame and leads to an emotional highlight at the grand finale. 4:02 pretty solid minutes.

 

Takida – Falling From Fame – Spotify

Here is Falling From Fame on Spotify:

 

Takida – Falling From Fame – My View

Falling From Fame is to me an album, which already makes me look forward to tAKiDA’s next release. In which direction will the band’s music develop? Going back to rather rough, characterful sounds like in the past? Or will they try to get some of the jucier and financially more attractive fruits on the mainstream side. This 2021 album is a transition, which has good moments, but is neither a nice hard rocker nor a mainstream radio soundtrack. The band took a first step, the next one will have a huge potential for a better rating.

 

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