Frausdots - Couture, Couture, Couture
Reviewed by suzuki
Concerned that the blistering white light of New Wave has forgotten its gloriously dark and simmering melancholic majesty? Frausdots knows how to make it come alive. Brent Rademaker (The Tyde, Beachwood Sparks) and Michelle Loiselle (find her on the new Guns-n-Roses as back-up vocals) conjure up bittersweet melodic pop gems on their latest release, "Couture, Couture, Couture" (Rocket Girl/SubPop). The album revives rarely crafted dream rock reminiscent of The Church and Joy Division, and The Cure's Roger O'Donnell even lends his finger-magic on the keyboard. "Couture" is music that offers quiet intellect and a graceful balance between the vast sadness and the conquering...of love, death, and fashion. Call it fashion-rock for the terminally hip! "Couture" moves from being right-on with "Dead Wrong" to being vividly grand on the final track, "Tomorrow's Sky". All the songs--audibly or emotionally--are high class, and conquer, conquer, conquer. Whether it be by tamed drumming, or yielding expressions of the guitars and bass, they offer sensations that rest you back on the solid frames of your mind until the next track knocks gently at the door. Must-hear tracks are "A Go-See", "Broken Arrows", "Contact", and "Fashion Death Trends". Also, look for the video to "Dead Wrong", directed by Robert Schober (Holopaw) and more info on SubPop and the band's website. Enjoy! [www.frausdots.com]