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F PageContents: Fairport Convention, Fat Freddys Drop, Finns, The Flaming Lips, Fleetwood Mac, Form, Glenn FreyFairport Convention have their own pageFat Freddys DropBased On A True Story(2005)Polynesian dub/soul/reggae/jazz is the great hope for New Zealand music; after lo fi Velvet Underground imitators and cheesy new wave pop hits put New Zealand music on the map of a few select pop geeks in the eighties, it's now Wellington's Polynesian community who are defining what is perhaps currently the most artistically vibrant strand of Kiwi music. I was holding high hopes for this record after enjoying sister band Trinity Roots' excellent recent album Home, Land and Sea, but Fat Freddys Drop present a more purist version of the same forms, and for me as a white music fan more attuned to traditional melody and harmony, it's a lot harder to grasp. Based On A True Story is intricately textured, soulfully sung and beautifully produced, but the songs simply aren't that exciting and too consistently slowly paced. If they're interestingly structured, often breaking away from the restraints of verse and chorus, they still don't have well developed melodies and the lyrics are the secondary focus at best ("children go hungry while the soldiers stand by", "I love it when you're skanking with me"). Based On A True Story has its moments, like the softened down 'Del Fuego', which breaks out of the cool yet monotonous groove for a warm ballad that's more akin to Trinity Roots' work. It's a shame that a record that's so phenomenal in terms of performance and arrangements is left underdone by such routine songs. It's possible to take the view that it's an extremely coherent masterpiece, since nothing feels out of place or awkward, but it's more like a talented band that are pursuing one signature sound too far and not stepping outside of their comfort zone. You might not want to trust me on this, since every other review of I've read, and everyone that I've talked to about it, loves this record (although the guy who offloaded it to the pawn shop I bought it from for $5, a month after its release, probably dislikes it pretty actively). I'm holding out until Fat Freddys Drop releases something with enough melody or energy to hold my attention. Still, this record's got almost everything else going for it, so if you don't mind sitting through some slow moving song writing lightened up with some cool noises, you might want to capture a piece of a long warm New Zealand summer for yourself. 
 Everything Finn Brothers related has its own pageThe Flaming LipsThe Soft Bulletin(1999)While The Soft Bulletin is ambitious on its own terms, it pales in comparison to its predecessor Zaireeka, a four CD set where the CDs were designed to be played simultaneously on four different stereos and still make sense individually. The Soft Bulletin is vaguely reminiscent of Radiohead, but presents a more human facade. On The Soft Bulletin, The Flaming Lips indulge in experimental textures which they weave into a lush and often uplifting fabric. Keyboards are often dominant; an analogue synthesiser dominates the opening 'Race for the Prize', while lovely piano parts are plastered over The Soft Bulletin. Wayne Coyne's emotive and creaky vocals, which are often reminiscent of Neil Young, deliver simultaneously offbeat and poignant lyrics which often dwell on mortality. The results are fantastic, accessible and packed with innovative ideas. 'The Spark That Bled' changes several gears over its course, but returns to an uplifting and hook laden chorus. 'The Gash' marries a gospel singalong with a stomping beat, while 'Waiting for Superman' is attractive and melodic. Bonus track 'Buggin'' features Brian Wilson style harmonies. While The Soft Bulletin features the occasional dull spot, the best parts are tremendously inventive and touching. When the dust settles and unclouded appraisals of 1990s albums are carried out, The Soft Bulletin should emerge as a first class recording.
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots(2002)After the grandiose levity of The Soft Bulletin, the cartoonish facade of the first half of Yoshimi is disarmingly facile. While the music may seem shallow, the thematic ambition of The Soft Bulletin is intact; Coyne's meditations on mortality are more concentrated than previously, to the extent where Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots can be categorised as a concept album about death. The maturity of the The Soft Bulletin is present and accounted for, but disappointingly the songwriting isn't. The first few songs are generally bouncy and entertaining but the record quickly heads into dullsville, with lots of ballads that are intended to be heart wrenching and touching but just as often turn out dull and uninspired. Fortunately, The Flaming Lips haven't spent twenty years together without learning to make their records sound great and Yoshimi is no exception. Hip hop beats, burbling synthesisers, warm acoustic guitars, Beach Boy harmonies, and bouncy bass lines are all satellites in the Lips' musical universe, and consequently there is plenty of ear candy floating around. The lead off single 'Fight Test', with a melody legally proven to be similar to Cat Stevens' 'Father And Son', and the title track are the most memorable of the uptempo songs, while 'Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell' and 'All We Have Is Now' are the only ballads that are particularly effective. The rest of the album is slow and bland; the pleasant sonic elements are all in place, stopping Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots from ever becoming an unlistenable experience, but the material just isn't interesting enough. 'It's Summertime' and 'Do You Realise?' are downright turgid, while the two instrumentals seem more like exercises in genre (prog-rock and surf-rock respectively) than actual musical ideas. I haven't heard anything that The Flaming Lips created before The Soft Bulletin, but I'd be surprised if most of it isn't superior to this. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots does seem to have lifted The Lips' profile in New Zealand; the national TV network used 'It's Summertime' as its theme tune over summer, while it's surprisingly ubiquitous in music stores.
Fleetwood Mac have their own pageForm have their own pageGlenn Frey can be found on the Eagles page |
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Written 2001-2007, Graham Fyfe
