Another product of France, Fugu is led by singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer, mastermind Mehdi Zannad.
This, their debut album, is a modern update of the currently in vogue ‘60s Soft-Rock sound (see Millennium review elsewhere), and its French contemporary, complete with real strings, horns, woodwinds, harpsichord, other atypical instruments and finely arranged vocals (not to mention the babies & other sound effects), all crisply recorded.
They pull it off with beautiful melodies, firm rhythms and none of that Post-Modern, at-a-remove bullshit. Even the two nameless, instrumental segments (tracks 1 & 13) are compelling. Plus, and you know this alone would be sure to get me, only five numbers, out of eighteen, break the three minute barrier and none hit four.
I’m particularly partial to the swaying and rolling Vibravox, with its handclaps and ? & the Mysterians organ thru-line; the intricate Monocorde, with its intertwined harpsichord & horns, plus string sweetening; and the ringing, martial Pianolyre, with its cascading voices and that
Bolanesque warble of Zannad’s. But that’s this week; next, it could land almost anywhere on the spin of the platter. I should say that I have no idea what any of the lyrics are about, while mostly in English they work, even more than the Pears, as pure sound more than as narrative of any kind.
Some points of possible interest: Leatitia Sadier, of Stereolab, guests on lead vocal for the swelling, Spanky & Our Gang-like Sol Y Sombre and Meanwhile has an awfully familiar aspect (something from the Left Banke?), though listed as an original, as all the songs are.
[Released by Minty Fresh 2001]
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