How to Start a Fire is the second album by the Pompano Beach, Florida rock band Further Seems Forever, released in 2003 by Tooth & Nail Records. It was the band's only album with vocalist Jason Gleason, who had replaced original singer Chris Carrabba when the latter left the band to focus on his new project Dashboard Confessional. Gleason would leave the band the following year due to interpersonal tensions and be replaced by former Sense Field singer Jon Bunch. How to Start a Fire was also the band's first album with guitarist Derick Cordoba, replacing original guitarist Nick Dominguez.

Background and production

Frontman Chris Carrabba left Further Seems Forever as his side project Dashboard Confessional was becoming popular. He returned briefly to record the group's debut album The Moon Is Down (2001), but left before its eventual release. Following this, the group enlisted former Affinity vocalist Jason Gleason as their frontman. His earliest recorded performances appeared on the Rock Music: A Tribute to Weezer (2001) and Punk Goes Pop (2001) compilations. Guitarist Nick Dominguez was replaced by Derick Cordoba.

Recording for How to Start a Fire started in June 2002, with sessions taking place at Wisner Productions. James Paul Wisner and Further Seems Forever served as producers; Wisner handled recording, engineering and mixing. Alan Douches mastered the tracks at West West Side Mastering. and indie rock, drawing comparisons to the Juliana Theory, Taking Back Sunday, The band operated in two modes for the album: louder tracks with angular guitar lines and harsh rhythm parts with catchy chorus sections, as displayed in the title-track and "The Sound"; and the softer mode, as shown in "A Blank Page Empire" and "I Am". shifting into a hardcore punk-indebted song. "The Sound" bounces between post-hardcore verse sections and harmony-infused chorus sections in the vein of Cheap Trick. How to Start a Fire was made available for streaming on January 14, 2003, before released through Tooth & Nail Records on February 11. In February and March, the band embarked on a headlining US tour, with support from Elliott, the Early November, the Rise, the Beautiful Mistake, Open Hand, and Twothirtyeight. The music video for "The Sound" was posted on MP4.com on March 10. Following this, they toured with the Ataris and the Juliana Theory on a two-month tour of the US. The band went on The Made Tour, which ran from June to August; they played alongside the Movielife, Autopilot Off, and Anberlin. In September, the band participated in the Take Action Tour. How to Start a Fire was released in the UK on October 13. Four of the album's tracks – "Pride War", "Against My Better Judgement", the title-track and "The Sound" – later appeared on the group's compilation album Hope This Finds You Well (2006). In 2016, the group went on tour playing How to Start a Fire with Gleason.

| rev2 = Christianity Today

| rev2Score = Favorable

| rev3 = Cross Rhythms

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| rev4 = Exclaim!

| rev4score = Favorable

| rev5 = Jesus Freak Hideout

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| rev6 = musicOMH

| rev6Score = Favorable

| rev7 = Post-Bulletin

| rev7Score = 3.5/5

| rev8 = Punknews.org

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| rev9 = The Pitch

| rev9Score = Unfavorable

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How to Start a Fire would go on to sell over 100,000 by 2013. Exclaim! ranked it at number six on their Best Punk Album of the year list. Christianity Today included the album at number 11 on their best Christian albums of the year list. Jesus Freak Hideout ranked it at number 18 on their list of the top 100 Tooth & Nail releases.

Cross Rhythms writer Tony Cummings said due to the "smouldering vocals" from Gleason, the "exceptional light-and-shade dynamics" from the group, combined with the "inventive arrangements", it stood as "every bit the equal" to The Moon Is Down. The Pitch Geoff Harkness criticized the band for "rely[ing] on paint-by-numbers chord progressions" with "remedial lyrics ... that are scarred from a terminal case of hackney."

Further Seems Forever

  • Jason Gleasonvocals
  • Josh Colbertguitar
  • Derick Cordobaguitar
  • Chad Neptunebass
  • Steve Kleisathdrums

Additional musicians

  • James Paul Wisnerkeys, additional guitar

Production

  • James Paul Wisnerproducer, recording, engineer, mixing
  • Further Seems Foreverproducer, art direction, design
  • Alan Douchesmastering
  • Brandon Ebelexecutive producer
  • Bill Powerexecutive producer
  • David Rankinillustrations
  • Alan Fergusonband photography
  • Kris McCaddondesign

References

Citations

Sources