The 2001 full-length debut from Athens, GA's, Fairburn Royals is an endearingly rough-around-the-edges D.I.Y. indie rock affair -- right down to the hand-printed cardboard CD sleeves. A young group, the fact that they chose to release their first record as a concept album should serve as an indication that these ambitious boys have no desire to be just another indie rock band. Singer/guitarist Matt Lisle has a charming, sweetly soft-spoken vocal style at times reminiscent of the Gwens, Pretty Mighty Mighty, and Scott Garred, and the band as a whole does a fine job of avoiding the trap of overplaying on songs that are best left sparse. Case in point is "Rather Be Flying." Perhaps the record's most beautiful track, "Rather Be Flying" captures the beauty of everyday events with lyrics like "I check my messages three times a day/But it's always blank/So I play yesterday's," and a lonesome acoustic guitar is strummed while a sad slide riff floats in and out of the mix. While the varied musical tastes of the band members is evident in the record's diversity of styles, often moving from quiet alt-country to Elephant Six indie-pop to more rocking alt-rock all within one song, the band is at their best when they sink their teeth into the slower, layered, Silver Scooter-paced numbers. Perhaps the quieter songs come across better as they are impacted the least by the lo-fi nature of the recording, whereas the songs that begin to rock out get a bit messy on tape (though they are likely very effective in a live setting). With any luck, a label will pick this group up and send them to a real studio to cut a song or two, and listeners will find out what they're really capable of. Expect big things. ~ Karen E. Graves