Fyfe Dangerfield: Fly Yellow Moon
Fyfe Dangerfield: Fly Yellow Moon
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Friday, 15, Jan 2010 11:52
Polydor, out January 18th.
What's it all about?
Taking a break from the day-job with experimental rockers Guillemots, lead singer Fyfe Dangerfield has created a collection of stripped-down love songs for this charming debut solo effort.
Who's it by?
A former music teacher, the classically trained Dangerfield is not only the lead singer but the main creative force behind offbeat indie darlings Guillemots. Having stated that Fly Yellow Moon is a departure from where he wants his band's sound to go, Fyfe is on a more conventional tip with his solo work, admitting: "I wanted it to sound like the Beatles music I used to listen to as a kid." Oh, and that's his real name as well. Pretty cool, no?
As an example...
"I can't help it/I can't help it if I'm happy not to be sad/Because when you walk in the room / I see things that I can't understand." - When You Walk In The Room
What the others say
"It's hard not to be swept along by his ardour and emotion." - Guardian
"Colourful pop treats abound, gilded by an acoustic sparseness." - Mirror
So is it any good?
Whilst a lot of singer-songwriters soon begin to grate, collapsing under the sheer bloody earnestness of their balladeering, there's such an enthusiasm running through Fly Yellow Moon that it's genuinely impossible to dislike. With most of the songs written shortly after the release of Guillemots' 2008 album Red, Dangerfield is clearly a man as much in love with life as any significant other. When You Walk in The Room kicks off the album with the exuberant opening gambit, "In this moment, nobody's pulling me down into the ground", and this feeling of being on top of the world is one that hangs around throughout the record, not least on the infectious She Needs Me, with its disco strings and soaring melody.
Naturally, there is a more reflective air present as well, with the beautiful Barricades bringing a welcome touch of melancholy to proceedings. So Brand New is similarly moving, despite bearing a disconcerting resemblance to Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon. The presence of these more contemplative moments do a nice grounding job when the whole thing threatens to get a bit too saccharine.
If we were nitpicking, the jaunty whistling at the end of High On The Tide is perhaps a ray of sunshine too many, whilst the meandering Livewire is a bit too generic for the man who created the Guillemots. These are minor quibbles however, with what is otherwise a treat of a solo project. We already knew the man had a voice to be reckoned with, and this lo-fi collection of love songs is the perfect showcase for it. Bravo.
8/10
George Wales