Fridge, trio formed in South London in the mid nineties
by then collegians Kieran Hebden, Adem Ilhan and Sam
Jeffers, have always privileged an unconventional approach
to rock. The rather classic guitar/bass/drum formation
originally adopted has long been turned into something
more complex, with more and more elements of avant-garde
electronica distorting the traditional soundscapes to
the point where Fridge has become totally unclassifiable.
Neither rock nor post-rock nor leftield, with rudiments
of each colliding constantly against others, Fridge
have long transcended the notion of genres.
For this fourth Fridge album, the trio have cut on titles
with evocative or obscure meanings, and, instead, only
offer a description of elements of sounds found on each
track. For instance, Melodica & Trombone,
which opens the album, is based around a melodica… and
a trombone. This unusual process, if not totally revolutionary,
allows the compositions to breath more freely, as very
little comes between the musicians and the listeners
to distract the mind from the work. Perhaps even more
so than its predecessors, Happiness is intricate
and minimalist, each track being based on a very few
sounds, which are altered, twisted and recycled indefinitely,
in a similar way to Hebden’s solo work on his Four
Tet project perhaps. The compositions here are,
however, far more abstract and monochrome, and evokes
the same bare, primitive, atmospheres as Aphex Twin’s
Selected Ambient Work Volume 2. Drum Machines
& Glockenspiels, Cut Up Piano & Xylophone
or Sample & Clicks are among the most arid
moments of Happiness. Here, the melodies are
barely existent, overcome by the complexity of the incandescent
arrangements. Melodica & Trombone is even
more disconcerting. As an anarchic jazz-like echo slowly
lingers amongst the chaotic ambient structure before
being swallowed by a wave of outer space noise. Five
Four Child Voice, Drums Bass Sonics & Edit
or Harmonics, with more recognisable melodic
forms, are equally as intriguing. Five Four Child
Voice is Fridge at its nearest to a conventional
band, as they venture out in the open, with identifiable
elements of guitar, bass and drums. But this is short
lived, and the trio rapidly retreats into more obscure
territories, by way of hypnotic bass circumvolutions
and abrasive percussions on Sample & Clicks.
Harmonics and Long Singing
offer the most melodic moments of this record, as they
gently bring the listener back down to earth.
If Fridge have always deliberatley avoided simplicity,
by constantly pushing the boundaries of their art form,
it has never been more accomplished than here. Happiness
is a truly magnificent record.
5/5/ |
