Album Notes

Formed in December 2000 in Athens, Georgia, Fairburn Royals continue to stand the test of time and are now poised, with the release of The Whistler (the band's third full-length record), to emerge from the shadows of the rich Athens musical landscape.

Starting out as basically a four-track project, Fairburn Royals' sound is characterized as rough-around-the-edges lo-fi dream-pop which combine the grit of Sebadoh, the wit of Ween, and the rural psych-pop leanings that are a natural by-product of drinking the water in Athens. The band's lyrics draw heavily from day-to-day events we all encounter, and are at first blush simplistic. However, when put together in the context of a full record of songs, the lyrical composition actually makes a statement about everyday life. Vocalist Matt Lisle lends a very versatile voice to the equation, and is equally adept at soft, dreamy vocals as he is at rock outbursts. The band makes generous use of vocal harmonies and guitar melodies, but also can lay down instrumental tracks with sinister overtones.

Having self-released The Sunshine Slowdown, a lo-fi concept record, Fairburn Royals joined the Two Sheds family in 2002 for the release of From a Window Way Above. From a Window belies a band that's more comfortable in the studio, both with the recording and the songwriting process. To bridge the gap between records, the band recorded The Free EP in 2003. As its name indicates, the record, which consisted of reworkings of songs on the first two records, was made available free for downloading.

The Whistler picks up where From a Window left off, with more indie pop stylings, albeit with a more laid-back, alt-country feel. As with the earlier records, drummer Jason Eshelman (who also plays with Athens band The Eskimos) doubled as engineer, and the record was recorded at Eshelman's Sonic Research Facility in Athens. The band's growth as musicians is exhibited by the fact that traditional guitar-bass-percussion assignments were juggled during the course of the record.

Guest appearances include Patrick Doyle on saxophone and trumpet, and Eskimos guitarist/vocalist Dave Weiglein adds guitar to a track on the record.