A conversation between two Fratellis fans:

Kevin: This is a great, great album by The Fratellis. They have found a sound that incorporates many instruments and this has shown that The Fratellis can get even better as they give more depth to their music.

Sean: One of the most disappointing albums of all time. I really liked The Fratellis’ first album since it was released, I even introduced Kevin to the band, but they changed their formula way too much.

Kevin’s : I don’t believe the Fratellis “changed their formula to much” but that they added a new level of depth that has made their music much more interesting.

Sean: The Fratellis have shifted to more of an Elton John and slight influence by the Beatles, influence rather than Strokes, indie, approach to music. The Beatles were a one of a kind band and no one yet has come close to what they achieved or their song writing genius. Rarely are songs made to sound like Beatles’ songs any good. In this case, the more Beatles influenced songs are not very good.

Kevin: After listening to this record I could pick out many different influences the Fratellis had. The main ones were The Beatles and Elton John. In “Babydoll” Beatle-like harmonies can be heard throughout the song. “Milk and Money” sounds just like an Elton John piano ballad. It makes the album a lot more enjoyable.

Sean’s: I really must strongly disagree with Kevin on this topic. If I wanted to listen to Elton John I could by an Elton John album, when I buy a Fratellis album I want to hear the Fratellis and their kind of sound, not them “borrowing” from other artists when they had a unique sound.

Sean: This album had both very heavy and soft songs, both of which I was not expecting from the Fratellis. There are several badly executed attempts at writing piano based songs. I love many songs with piano; it adds a new level to the song. However, here it seems like there is only piano for the sake of having piano and the album would have been much better off if they had stuck to more guitar songs. Here, John Fratelli comes across as trying to be taken more seriously as a musician by adding the piano. Also, John Fratelli’s guitar sound has lost much of its treble-y tone. The Fratellis songs have lost their catchy, poppy sound and hooks which was what I liked about their last album.

Kevin: I really have to disagree with Sean on this one. I believe the piano adds a great amount of depth to the song. The piano helps to transition from versus to choruses and will help to add different sounds alongside guitar and vocals. A new instrument being added doesn’t always work; you have to make work just right, and The Fratellis definitely achieved that in this album.

Sean’s: Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, you can be so ignorant sometimes. Nobody wants to hear a song based around the piano from the Fratellis. Some bands can pull off the piano but, sadly, the Fratellis can not.

Sean: Last album the Fratellis had the treble on their amps turned up, the hooks kept coming, and the songs were better constructed. The Fratellis weren’t a serious band, but with this new album their songs aren’t necessarily serious but they are not fun sounding like they used to be.

Kevin: I agree with Sean on the notion that their last album had a more British sing-along type feel that a lot of people have known to love. But I have to say that although this album was sort of a step in a different direction, they did achieve a new level of depth and dimension to their music. As the band grows older and has more experiences I am guessing we will start to see developed stories and songs with more meaning in them.

Sean: The Fratellis wrote fun songs before and that’s how it should be. Who wants to hear “stories and songs with more meaning in them” from John Fratellis who can barely write songs that make sense for example, “Mabel.”  John Fratelli has even admitted the song is about literally nothing.

Kevin: The Fratellis future looks very bright. They have about 39,900 fans on their website and many more that haven’t registered. Their success with numerous top 100 hits has shown they can only get better from here forward. I am hoping that the added depth to their songs and Jon getting even better at writing lyrics will prove to be a perfect combination.

Sean: I hope they go back to the way they used to be. However, they might not get another chance to record another album. Each single since Nov. 2006 has not done well at all. Many bands that are worse have more than 39,900 fans registered to their site or “Myspace,” and saying that there are “many more [fans] that haven’t registered” may be inaccurate since the Fratellis are a band that is based heavily around their online site, that statement could be misleading.

Kevin: Sean, I can’t believe you think The Fratellis might not be able to record another album. They have released two full-length albums and numerous singles. All of that coupled with their wide-range success shouldn’t even make it a question in your mind about other chances to record. Also, it is very hard to get a top 10 hit because of the amount of music being created. Lastly, I don’t remember hearing that the Fratellis were based around their website. Not everyone who has looked at their site has registered and some people just picked up the album out of store without knowing about a website.

Sean: This was not as good as their first album.

Kevin: The Fratellis achieved a new level of depth in this album and have made a very enjoyable album with many hits on it.