| Artist |
| Frightdoll |
| Title |
| Reference Version |
| Format/Cat |
| CD |
| Label |
| Frightdoll Records |
| Style |
| Electro |
| Date of review |
| 10th December 2007 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 5.5/10 |
|
|
 |
|
The sleevenotes make clear that Frightdoll is a solo project with the lady herself even releasing this, her debut album, on her own label, making it truly a labour of love. The trouble with releasing albums under your own steam is that the often valuable feedback that label execs etc can provide is absent which is something, I feel, that this artist could do with. The main problem is that, in many cases, her undoubtedly high compositional skills are hindered by her lack of experience which means that, while there are plenty of good ideas floating around here they don't quite come off. For instance, only a talented artist would have the vision to combine such an offbeat lead with such a strong sequence & rhythm combo that gives 'Marionette' such a distinctive feel & there's no reason why 'Sessions Of Expression', which sits somewhere between synthpop & EBM in terms of power, wouldn't do well with most electro lovers if it were only a bit more varied & was beefed up a tad. It's also not lacking in variety as 'Questions' shows the artist's more atmospheric side with some thoughtful voice effects complimenting the music well The talent is so obviously there which makes this a rather frustrating experience, especially the ill-judged excursion into poppier electroclash realms that is on 'Unit', where what sounds like a bum note (but isn't) only adds to the track's cheap feeling, as if someone who can't play is having a dabble on a cheapo home keyboard while 'Neutrino Glace' suffers from a jarring copmbination of piano & overly assertive industrial rhythms-yes, it can be an effective contrast but here it just sounds a mess. It's on the penultimate number 'Version' that it starts to come together with the spoken, emotionless voice being offset by some simple but effective melodics. However, this is not really enough to save the album which has potential but sounds more like a demo (& if it were I'd have gone a lot easier on it) & fails to make the grade as a full-blown release; maybe the passage of time will allow Frightdoll to fulfill her potential more fully or maybe a more experienced guiding hand could be brought in but either way this doesn't quite cut it, I'm afraid.
|