Far From Words

I bought this CD hearing that they were influenced by the Cure, so I had to check it out. You can definitely hear the Cure influence in there but it is not at all a ripoff of the Cure's sound. Far From Words has a very unique sound that is hard to compare to other bands. It starts off with a great intro that slowly builds up until going straight into Anything You've Ever Dreamed, a energetic Smashing Pumpkin-esque rock song. Next comes Always (my favorite track) which is a very catchy pop song. Last, but not least, is Take Me. This song is probably the most original track on the CD. It has a very slow atmospheric feel to it that just draws you in deeper as you listen. It's a very amazing song although not for everyone. Overall, this EP has definitely done its purpose, it's made me eagerly await the next release by Far From Words.
- review from CDbaby.com

Alex Riggen was feeling burned out. He'd been in a number of different bands with friends in Morrison, Ill., for the past five years, and was getting tired of it.

"I just stopped being in bands for awhile, and I just sat and recorded songs for a half-a-year," said Riggen, 19.

He recruited keyboard player Jacob Medendorp and drummer Nick Pompou, who he had known from other bands, and formed Far From Words, after he had a whole album full of material to be recorded.

"Instead of writing songs with a band, I wrote the songs myself and added people in there," said Riggen, the lead singer and guitar player for the three-man band.

All three went to high school together in Morrison, and are all attending Sauk Valley Community College.

The band is branching out from Morrison into the Quad-City area, with a date a few weeks ago at the Quad-City Live and a show this Saturday at Theo's Java Club, Rock Island.

It's all supporting the band's first CD, "Be Nameless," which was released last week.

"I asked the other band members if it should have a name or be nameless," Riggen said of the album's title.

Although Riggen listens to a variety of music, he said [some of] his favorites are The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins, and says that style shows up in his own writing and his own music.

"Smashing Pumpkins weren't always heavy and weren't always soft. They were a combination of both," he said.

Far From Words - which, with the exception of a couple of Cure covers, plays all original music - has a unique sound, Riggen said.

"We do have a different sound. It's tough to find where to play," he said. "I think we have more of a European sound that what's popular right now [in the US]".

Riggen said he liked the synergy of a three-piece band, but wouldn't be against adding another member to the band.

We've been told we have a full sound live," he said. "If we find other members who we think can fit in, we'll take them, but right now we don't need them to play live."
- Quad City Times