Road Eyes

Road Eyes is the 2010 album from the British alt-rock outfit Amusement Parks on Fire. Call it stargaze, not shoegaze, 'cause the epic-rock power of Amusement Parks on Fire blasts the beauty straight up into the cosmos. Colossal walls of massed guitars, voices and strings give Amusement Parks' towering sonics a soaring urgency that burns through a gorgeous lyricism, packing a visceral wham not unlike the feral punk that inspired the band back in the day. Formed in 2004 by guitarist-singer Michael Feerick in Nottingham, UK, Amusement Parks was originally not a band at all, with Feerick writing the material and playing the instruments for the eponymous debut album. At first, "I wasn't sure what I was doing," he says with a laugh. "I was doing Amusement Parks like 'Aw, this is just some music I'm making, and then when it got to making the album, it was like I wasn't fazed by trying to make it successful or anything." The audacious ambition of Amusement Parks' early demos persuaded Portishead's Geoff Barrow to sign the band to his Invada Label in 2004, the band's widescreen punk visions suggesting a telescope into rock's future. The unbridled vision of their self-titled debut album and live shows earned them a deal with V2 in 2005, which resulted in the release of their second studio album, Out of the Angeles, recorded at Sigur Rós' Sundlaugin studio in Álafoss, Iceland. A series of limited edition 12-inch vinyl EPs emerged as well: 2005's Blackout, 2006's In Flight and 2007's A Star Is Born, leading to Amusement Parks' most recent release, the Young Fight EP, revealing a band that has grown in both size and scope. Now operating as a five-piece, Feerick is joined by Daniel Knowles (guitar/ production), Peter Dale (drums), Gavin Poole (bass) and Joe Hardy (keyboards).