Fragile Creatures, a fluid band from Brighton,
pierces my heart and soul with their cheeky, irreverent music. They don't bow to any one style. Hints of the harmonizing ala Beach
Boys takes you on their adventure. Self described as "Resistant to the formulaic, going wherever the musical muse takes them" makes perfect sense to the muse believing creative creature. They make brilliant use of their English accents which is very George Harrison
like. "She makes me Nervous" flirt with Beatlesque atmospheric songs.
They lose that style and go fast and furious with some sizzling guitar playing
along with perfect use of a keyboard strike. Adam's vocals rise in displeasure
thinking about a girl who is playing basketball with his feelings.
He is looking for the release. "I am not in love/ She just makes me
nervous/ I can't sand her accusing eyes."
James jams on the kit and the wild drum
beats pep it back up along with spiky guitar solos that seems to speak to you.
He waxes on about this dysfunctional relationship that seems to be akin to
an addiction. It's not good for him but he can't enough. He wants out and
the raw angst is palpable in the vocal delivery along with the guitar playing
that opens up to be the secondary character in this anti love story.
"Can you talk talk talk but can you listen?" Heady lyrics if you sit back and take a load off your mind. Adam has a voice that hints at Alex Turner but still retains it's own uniqueness. There is an Artic Monkeys sarcasm blueprint going on in the track "Can You? The track starts with a boop boop then the one two three of the drum sticks. Enter some 60s mod while Adam lets it fly. The casual harmonizing seems a signature style of Fragile Creatures. I am particularly a fan of 5 piece bands where there are 2 dueling guitars along with the bumping bass line. Adam’s Tele is adorned with a Bigsby tremolo. While Tom strums his Strat lefty. The keyboard sounds give this that retro surf sound
.
"Can you believe they made it into a movie" is a
pointed, cheeky quip at the book Bling Ring made into a movie
by Sofia Coppola. That was their impetus for the quick costume
changes, over sized sunglasses and intersplicing and the molten mirror
effect. The entire video pays homage the series of heists in Cali, where a ring
of teenagers and some adults went on a spree heisting rich people’s clothing
then going out and wearing it. While didn’t get away with, The Fragile
Creatures are definitely getting away with pushing the boundaries in their
music. The oooooos again give this sassy track an Artic Monkeys vibe.
They
tweeted that this video got a thumbs down from from a snob blogger who said
they made too many costume changes. But that is the mischievous point. The
goggles in the last frame made an appearance in another of their videos where
they dressed as aliens. I appreciate a little strange in this sea of safe moves
and mediocrity.
Random fun fact “She Makes Me Nervous” was their first offering
and “Can You” is their latest. Literal bookend review.
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