Albums

Fridge - The Sun

Angus Reid 18/06/2007

Rating: 4.5/5

Finally the return of Fridge. The constituent members have certainly been busy while they've been away, slowly making a name for themselves, but it's when they come together that something truly special happens, and new album The Sun re-affirms this.

Opening with what sounds like a drum and feedback jam, it's almost immediately obvious the sense of enjoyment that went into making this album, and a cohesive spirit of people, in a room (and presumably later in an editing suite), making music and sharing ideas binds this whole thing together. Second track 'Clocks' breaks into a section of what can only be described as 'glitch-hop', the whole song coming across like a warped mixture of David Pajo and DJ Yoda, and this eclecticism is contagious. 'Drums Of Life' is a distinctly odd mash of, well, drums, and leads nicely into one of the heaviest tracks on display, 'Eyelids.'

Fridge show that they can do the erratic, slightly shonky Battles-thing just as well as anyone else, and always keep you on your metaphorical toes, never quite letting you get used to a sound before they move on to something else and keep the attention strictly focused. That's not to say that this is a demanding album however, as the laid back, friendly vibe makes it equally pleasant to have as a background as it thrumbs and pottles away, it keeps the aesthetic side of the brain active.

For me the stand out tracks are 'Oram' which reminds me of Sun-Ra and Tortoise at various points, and 'Comets' which has enough going on to keep even the most attentive of listeners occupied for a long time.

It's nice to have them back.