Far East Movement also known as FM has been climbing the ranks since about 2003 starring on soundtracks from the likes of Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift to Ping Pong Playa as well as several television shows. They’ve signed with Cherrytree Records (Interscope) and released Free Wired, the groups first major label release that features tracks ranging from electronic Hip Hop to Dance Club Anthems featuring special guests on almost every track. On the album alongside FM is Snoop Dogg, Stereotypes, The Cataracs, Ryan Tedder, Mohombi, Keri Hilson, Kayla Kai, Frankmusik, Roger Sanchez, and Kanobby.

I wouldn’t chalk Far East Movement up as a group that’s going to change your life with an in-depth profoundness. If you’ve heard The Black Eyed Peas, Ke$ha, or Lady Gaga then you’ll understand where FM is coming from. Its mostly just music for clubbing and having a good time and like the associated acts mentioned above its infectious and will more then likely catch on to make FM stars, for a little while.

Lyrically the album deals mostly with the party lifestyle and love. The First two tracks on the album have a vocal style that is reminiscent of Brokencyde (without all the screaming). If your familiar with Brokencyde enough said. If not its basically FM boasting about their libido. Ryan Tedder of One Republic joins FM on the following track, Rocketeer, which is has that annoying buzz of autotune at its core but overall a pretty nice song with Tedder really adding a new depth to FM’s sound. Snoop Dogg accompanies FM on the next track, If I Was You (OMG). A bit of trivia, the bands manager Ted Chung is also the Vice President of Doggystyle Records, a label founded by Snoop Dogg. The track is a return to the formula found on the first two tracks of the album with the same infectious electronic sound that powers the album. To switch things up on us the album takes a real boy band sound on the next track with She Owns The Night featuring Mohombi. Its like N’Sync and Black Eyed Peas got mashed up here. The track really doesn’t fit well with the construct of the album. So What? is up next which is the only track on the album that doesn’t feature a guest appearance and is my favorite track on the album. Its relatively similar to the rest of the album but catchier and raw. Don’t Look Now is one of two songs on the album inwhich FM collaborates with a female singer, this time with Atlanta native Keri Hilson. Again, lyrically nothing profound and Hilson seems extremely underused. Fighting For Air features Frankmusik and is a return to that boy band sound for the album but meshes better on the album then She Owns The Night. Kayla Kai features on the next track which is a playful pop powered track that doesn’t do much for the album. Finally 2gether closes out the album with a techno inspired core mixing in a bit of The B-52’s Love Shack, which is a little odd, but overall the close out track is just a reminder that the album is all about fun and having a good time. It won’t change your life, have no doubts there, but this album will stick in your head for months.