Imagine a modern band’s take on hazy, late ‘60s psychedelic garage, and you’re imagining something close to the Fresh & Onlys. Darlings of the U.S. underground for just over a year, they have already released many singles and cassettes, some solo efforts, and two LPs prior to this. Now they’ve stepped up onto the excellent In The Red roster, I was initially disappointed with the results.
The first song doesn’t seem to possess any of the charm of their admittedly hit and miss recorded output. At first, it sounds lethargic and bored, and has the their ‘60s leanings confirmed with the title Summer of Love (ah, is it a pastiche?). But after multiple listens, hang on... what’s that expansive, layered production? How about the beautiful background textures? The sweeping instrumentation? Turns out it’s a great, but subtle opener.
Waterfall is more immediate but equally thoughtful, boasting a soaring guitar line, a quirky beat, and demanding you hit the repeat button. It shares a certain Spaghetti Western vibe with the next track, Until The End Of Time. Again, ambition is matched with execution. Tropical Island Suite is up next which, despite clocking in at twice the length of the second longest track here, doesn’t seem to outstay its welcome; the pounding main body of the song giving way to noisy build-up and a dreamlike ending.
All the songs make use of the driving drums, melodic bass, jangly rhythm, and the hook-infused lead guitar is used sparingly. These familiar tools are used on ‘Play It Strange’ to produce songs of real depth, complete with organ embellishments and Tim Cohen’s laid back, tuneful croon. Be My Hooker, Fascinated, and Plague of Frogs follow a similar template with different feels, but they really have the template nailed. The latter gives way to a chorus of real beauty and leads into album highlight: Who Needs A Man. It’s opening riff nods to their equally prolific West Coast contemporaries the Oh Sees, before a segue into a danceable disco variation on their formula. Red Light Green Light follows and is much more swinging, lolloping along in a more relaxed way. To finishs, the tempo is slowed right down. The song repeatedly builds up to a head, stops, and begins again with the “I’m A Thief” of its name. It’s one of those slightly sad compositions that make you reflect on the album that has gone before and raises your opinion of the work as a whole by virtue of its majesty.