Fat Freddy's Drop - Blackbird Album Review
After 14 years and only 3 albums, it is safe to say that Fat Freddy’s Drop are very focused and direct with what they do. Blackbird is the newest release from the boys of FFD and, while it has taken so long to get here, it was worth the wait. What was usually grounded in that laid back Aotearoa reggae dub, the new album transforms to a hybrid of soul, techno sonic funk, booming and grinding beats overlaid with brassy raspy lyrics and harmonies.
9 Songs in all FFD encapsulate a diverse array of genres that are ingrained in and unique to NZ music, but with Blackbird they step out of that classic organic smoove sound (smooth groove for those who were wondering) and create something new.
When I first heard the title track live I was magnetised by its more pensive vibe with a horns section that slay the dub beat. 9 minutes in you wonder how a band can hold your attention for so long without the generally reclined FFD sound of the past.
Mother and Clean the house have an air of a modern motown vibe a little more rock to jazz ratio. Then Soldier drops a darker hypno-electronica swirl. Bones is one of those tracks that has an alluring enchantment, a total throw back to the 70’s if Jack Johnson got to collaborate with Stevie Wonder.
If this is the start of a futuristic FFD sound then there is a lot left to explore in this musically uncharted journey. What I am hoping is that the polished studio album gets more spontaneous as the mega-jam sessions FFD are renowned for, kicks off a tour later in September!
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About Fat Freddy's Drop
These influences have not only been formed by the band’s individual predilections, but also experiences on the road: Fat Freddy’s appearance at Detroit’s Movement festival in 2006 was a watershed moment for the band, fuelled by hearing May’s, Atkin’s and Craig’s stark futurism ricochet off the cold concrete of America’s broken dream. This stoked producer DJ Mu’s love of analog techno, balancing and fusing vocalist Dallas Tamaira’s adoration of soul and reggae with the band’s collective passion for Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, Rock, Disco, House, Post Punk and Balearic oddities.
For Bays studio album released in 2015, the 9-track LP was exclusively written and recorded at their studio in Kilbirnie, Wellington. Pre-Bays, Freddy's albums were formed almost entirely on the road; the songs slowly evolving live at festivals such as WOMAD UK, SONAR, Bestival, Lowlands, DEMF, Pukkelpop, Glastonbury, The Big Chill and Roskilde.
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