Fruit Bats – The Landfill
I admit, after listening to countless singers through the years, what grabs my ear the tightest is a distinctive voice. Eric D. Johnson (guitars/piano/synth/lap steel) has a thin, finely rendered voice, but his delivery is early Dylan on “The Saddest Part of the Song” without the gruffness & harshness. Just the intonation, the pronunciation, & the rest are purely Eric.
His voice is unique. As unique as Dante of the group Dante & the Evergreens (“Alley Oop”), who also had a unique tone & lyrical delivery that few ever noticed. He had style; Eric of the Fruit Bats has style. It continues “All Wounds” — this time with the chiming guitars as they surround Eric like so much honey dripping from a spoon.
There are 10 well-delivered, tuneful parts to The Landfill (Drops June 12/Merge Records/34:27), which is self-produced by Eric & recorded in Washington state & Los Angeles. It’s an interesting collection. “Think Aboutcha,” & “That Goddam Sun” find Eric with tonality that nears Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) but not quite as quirky. Corgan is good, but let’s hope Eric doesn’t choose to emulate him consistently.
As mentioned earlier, there is a quality to Mr. Johnson’s voice that needs to be consistent. Two other vocalists that Eric possesses the charm of, without knowing it, are an obscure Elektra Records band from the early ‘70s called Siren, who had a quirky vocalist in Kevin Coyne (“The Stride”) & also David Surkamp of Pavlov’s Dog. These are meant as compliments, as these singers are distinctive & unique. Eric is unique.
Eric shines again on the slow “Silverfish In the Sink” that exposes his exceptionally creative vocal elements along with the group’s exceptional musical accompaniment. Nothing is bombastic or overblown. Like the group, the Blue Nile is pensive & sometimes a bit melancholy but always attractively played. This approach is fascinating since it’s not easy to sing these types of songs. Even the song titles are a bit quirky but never strange. You know there are shenanigans afoot with these types of lyrical stories.
The late Pink Floyd musician Syd Barrett had similar strange song titles, subjects & maneuvers. But Eric has soulful routes to his pieces. Therein lies the difference. “Perhaps We’re a Storm” is the most accessible tune with a David Surkamp/Barrett flavor. The rockiest comes with the final title track. Good stuff…a talented bunch.
Highlights – “The Saddest Part of the Song,” “All Wounds,” “Think Aboutcha,” “That Goddam Sun,” “Silverfish In the Sink,” “Wild Pony Tower Moment,” “Perhaps We’re a Storm,” & “The Landfill.”
Musicians – David Dawda (electric & upright basses), Josh Mease (electric & acoustic guitars/Fender bass VI/synth/vibraphone), Frank LoCrasto (electric & acoustic pianos/organs/synths/vibraphone), Kosta Galanopoulos (drums/percussion/glockenspiel) with Renata Zeiguer (violin/viola) & Owen Thayer (pedal steel).
There’s a folded-down color lyric insert included. Color image courtesy of Kelsey Gallagher. CD @ Bandcamp & https://www.fruitbatsmusic.com/
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: Music Reviews: The Vogues, Cowboy Dave, Julie Christensen, Fruit Bats, Adam Klein, Arkansauce, and Charlie Parker