Album Review: F & M — Wish You Were Here
Madeline Smith
Arts & Culture Editor
Sep 01, 2011
F&M
Wish You Were Here
Shameless Records
With a warm exchange of sweet and gruff vocals, husband-wife folk duo F&M turn towards the moody, intimate side of their sound for their fourth album Wish You Were Here. Hushed harmonies littered with sparse piano lines and softly strummed guitar strings keep most of the songs both mournful and introspective, quietly reflecting the album’s wistful title. With touches of accordion and Rebecca Anderson’s ghostly background vocals rising through “Walk To You” and “I Wish You Were Here,” the majority of the album stays within the comfort of shadowy sounds.
But Wish You Were Here isn’t all whispered vocals and scarce instrumentation: a reworked version of previous releases “Amsterdam” and “I Pray For The Fog” give Ryan and Rebecca Anderson the respective chances to showcase their voices against a much more dramatic-sounding piano and energetic guitar riffs, while still keeping with the dark intimacy of the rest of the album.
F&M’s latest offering manages to be atmospheric and emotional while maintaining a sense of ease and clarity amongst its complex construction. Layers of subtle sounds carefully support every song to build a distinct emotional mood, sometimes evoking longing and loneliness. But Wish You Were Here won’t drag listeners down with its darkness — instead, the album draws you closer, wrapping you in its cozy charm.
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