New Music from Fol Chen
Get ready for pure musical insanity.
I sometimes feel the word “eclectic” is overused in the music criticism world; but I know I’m guilty of using it to describe a band that I feel is all over the place or just crazy. For the band Fol Chen, I feel the word “eclectic” is really the only way to accurately peg them down. Fol Chen themselves describe their sound the best. “You know that mysterious black object that the creepy family is staring at on the cover of Led Zeppelin's Presence album? Fol Chen sound like that.” Everything about this California band is shrouded in mystery and intrigue. From the masked pictures of themselves, to the odd “transmission” used to describe the history of the band, accuracy becomes obsolete and Fol Chen embodies a more artful style to their music while still keeping it fun. They go on to say in their “transmission” to the masses, “We are using secret powers and the guidance of legendary DJ Donna Donna to combat our nemesis, John Shade. We are cryptic and joyful and we would like you to dance.” Whatever that means, it’s a simple request and one that should be easy to grant with the type of music that they make.
Their debut album, Part 1: John Shade, Your Fortune’s Made, is being released on Sufjan Stevens’ label Asthmatic Kitty in February, but their single “The Believers” is a good preview of things to come. Fol Chen includes so many different styles into one track, but do it with the poise of a professional. “The Believers” is a strangely sexy track that has a great trumpet part over a chorus of singers - making the ladies sway their hips seductively like those sultry film noir women do. And the remix by California DJ Clifford Lidell is just as booty-shaking as the original.
Posted by Amy Dittmeier on Dec 22, 2008 @ 7:00 am