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FM
Atomic Generation

Frontiers (2018)
Rating: 9/10

“Don’t waste time tryin’ to be something you’re not” beams Steve Overland as he muses his way through ‘Make The Best Of What You Got’ from FM’s latest rewarding slab, Atomic Generation.

Strangely, I’m getting a bluesy and also Mr Big vibe from this steady, breezy rocker as Overland, almost out of character, speaks of “See the bitches in the magazines, rock stars and movie queens” over a driving riff and steady drum nod. It’s a nice, commercial, and overly warm slice of FM at their deftest.

“Fast women and limousines” is the sort of lyric that wouldn’t seem out of place on a ZZ Top record, but it’s also not too far removed from Bad English’s 1989 number ‘Best Of What I Got’. I guess that just shows how that era still sits strong within the souls of FM, a band that has been celebrating over three decades in the music business.

So, ‘Make The Best Of What You Got’ is a fun and easy song to take in, and as a lead single of sorts it might be an ideal way to draw in the masses. However, Atomic Generation – the band’s 11th opus – has far stronger ingredients to offer.

Opener ‘Black Magic’, for instance, has already become one of my favourite tracks this year; a solid thumping drum and almost quirky guitar fizz give way to an infectious gang chant before Overland’s soulful croon comes blazing in. And it’s that gang chant which sticks, even as the album progresses. “Sucks me in” the singer smirks – indeed it does – and I’m already under spell of this funky, struttin’ rocker built upon a foundation of Pete Jupp’s steady drum plod and Merv Goldsworthy’s bass backbone. It’s the killer start to a record I’ve been anticipating – the guitars fizzing and providing extra earthiness when required – and I’m pleased to say this continues.

‘Too Much Of A Good Thing’ is a typical 80s rocker, evoking images of neon lights and condensation running down the window pane of another sweaty night. “There’s a fire deep inside of me” Overland narrates us as we’re transported to an era of Miami Vice, foggy streets, littered trash cans and humid summers. Sure, it’s a tad Americanised, but it’s also timeless as the drum nods like an ever-present heartbeat which in turn flicker the lights of the stereo as Jim Kirkpatrick’s guitar sizzles one more time. Damn, if I still had the same curls as I did in the 80s I’d be flicking them back in awe of this mid-tempo foot-tapper.

The bubble-gum rock of ‘Killed By Love’ is another deeply contagious cool ‘n’ sassy nodder, and just when you thought you’d heard all this stuff in the 80s the FM boys come up with another infectious chorus that soars like the wind. Steve Overland’s gorgeous call just drifts on the breeze of the guitar, bass and drum which work in melodious tandem to add extra freshness and reflection to this pompous chunk of joy.

And wow, do they keep coming. ‘In It For The Money’ bursts in with a bluesy strut, but this time there’s an extra weight, not just to the riffage which rolls deep and hard, but to Jem Davis’ keyboards too which add extra beef. It’s one of the heaviest tracks on offer and yet again makes way for a cool chorus.

Meanwhile, ‘Golden Days’ comes in at the other end of the spectrum. Another sweaty, summery AOR haze of trickling guitar and pensive drum taps. It’s gloriously reflective; “I wanna go back to those golden days… all those summer days and nights, they were the best I ever had”. Boy, if Bryan Adams was crooning this we’d be cringing, but with FM there’s an authenticity, a genuine nod to a past we all cherish and at times have a thirst for. “Time keeps passing,” Overland thoughtfully remarks. “I wanna feel that way again”. And we do, thanks to songs like this.

But there’s far more of course to the FM cannon than nostalgia. ‘Playing Tricks Of Me’ hints at Santana with its licks. Indeed, there’s very much a Latin vibe here, evoking images of sweaty dancefloors, although I’m not sure if to do the rumba, the samba, the salsa or cha-cha-cha, such is my limited knowledge of such expression. But it’s another solid track where the guitar is the star, although for the rockers out there it might be just a little too much off the path, and in a sense it doesn’t exactly fit the album.

However, do not fear, there’s more sturdiness to come with the likes of melodic rocker ‘Follow Your Heart’ and the excellent ‘Stronger’ with its fiery barrage of lead and riff. Meanwhile, the subtle sides are explored with ‘Do You Love Me Enough’, a lovely ballad of acoustic sways that erupts into a joyous chorus, and closer ‘Love Is The Law’ continues that soulful thread, trickling sensually with those shimmering cymbals and Steve Overland’s aching voice. “We all need someone to hold” he cries, and we all need a band to keep on telling us that.

FM provides us with the soul, the fire and the joy to enable us to not only reflect on the happiness of the past, but to look forward to a brighter future. Atomic Generation is the soundtrack of several generations; a successful fusing of all that we love about rock‘n’roll.

Neil Arnold

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