Artist: Fanfarlo
Title: Drowning Men Sand And Ice
Label: Moshi Moshi
Genre: Indie
Bitrate: 201kbit av.
Time: 00:08:09
Size: 12.41 mb
Rip Date: 2009-03-26
Str Date: 2009-05-04
1. Drowning Men 3:53
2. Sand And Ice 4:16
Release Notes:
After a year in the shade, diligently preparing their
strangely-strange-yet-oddly-hook-laden pop music for maximum
impact, Fanfarlo emerge into 2009 a sleeker more predatory
beast, with this first double-A side from the esteemed Moshi
Moshi Singles Club to be released on May 4.
A-side 'Drowning Men' stands at a lean and agonisingly taut
two-and-a-half minutes of propulsive drums, urgent handclaps
and tightly circling violins, before the wave breaks and
serenity reigns over proceedings in a coda that can only be
described as sublimely lovely.
Over on the AA, 'Sand And Ice' sees singer Simon Balthazar
penning further poems without apparent meaning that
nonetheless creep inside your being and build a nest in your
heart.
'Drowning Men' is taken from the band's recently completed
debut album, 'Reservoir', which is currently available from
their website. 'Sand And Ice' however is exclusive to this
release. Both tracks were recorded by Peter (Interpol, The
National) Katis at his Bridgeport, Connecticut studios, but
given the crazy high standards of the resultant record,
Fanfarlo were in the unlikely position of being able to leave
something of 'Sand And Ice''s quality off the album running
order.
'I always thought big with this band' enthuses Simon. ⌠Wanting
to make music that everyone would love, which always seemed
like a realistic expectation, given the response we got to our
live performances' it's an amazing relief to be able to say,
yes, this is what it should sound like.'
As aging instruments are brought back to life with a creaking
aching beauty, Reservoir's bizarre collection of characters
joins our midst. Each an accidental Fanfarlo metaphor - the
irrational pursuit of an otherwise intellectual mind. Howard
Hughes' decent into madness I'm A Pilot; the delusion of
Pellegrino Ernetti in The Walls Are Coming Down and the absurd
writing career of Harold T. Wilkins, all sweep from sweet
murmuring melodia to orchestral pop.
Cathy Lucas (violin, keyboard, vox), Justin Finch (bass) and
Amos Memon (drums) and Leon Beckenham (trumpet, keyboard) all
conspire to ensure that Fanfarlo eschew a defining format.
Reaching for less than obvious conclusions to musical
conundrums: saws, clarinets, cellos, mandolins, ukuleles,
melodicas, hands clapping and feet stomping.
Reservoir is set to be one of the most enchanting debuts of
2009.