Avril - That Horse Must Be Starving
Artist:

Avril

Titel:

That Horse Must Be Starving

Label:

F Communications

Cat-no:

Stil:

Independent Pop & Rock

Typ: CD
Preis: 14 CHF
cursory search for Fred Avril on the internet yields numerous mentions of the now-famed incident in which Fred Durst and Avril Lavigne were found to be buddy buddy backstage at the MTVIcon ceremony for Metallica. Perhaps, however, far more searches will begin to feature the singular talents of laptop maestro Fred Avril and his well-hyped, in France, debut album That Horse Must Be Starving.

Early on, in the outro section of “The Date,” the second track on the album, the underlying structure of the album is revealed completely. It is a simple funk number that evokes some of David Holmes’ soundtrack work replete of Avril’s whispered claims that someone is, indeed, a bad boy. And while the production flourishes of That Horse Must Be Starving may fool many- in nearly every track there is a whiff, a hint, a dash of the funk.

And while the term funk is perhaps the most misunderstood term in the musical canon right now, the shorthand works. The electrified swing of “Velvet Blues” lurches towards the definition of a beat as it makes it way underneath the stultifying effects of Avril’s tight-handed production. It’s by far the most interesting track on the disc- the vocals are stretched and twisted until they barely resemble the English language, while the backing track sounds like the aural equivalent of a car slowly running out of gas underlain by a strict drum machine slowly churning in the background.

Also one of the more fascinating tracks on the album, “Global Headphones” mines a sort of shuffling ambience, complete with piano and airy strings. The mood is a somber one, but the funk still is present in the simplistic drum machine as it shuffles its way towards the end of the seven minute track. Lethargy never sounded so cool.

Conversely, “Like Everybody Else” makes like Bowie fronting Air with its swarthy synth and guitar arrangement, revealing itself to be both plodding and uplifting at the same time. While it isn’t necessarily the most transcendent moment on the disc, playing spot-the-influence is ridiculously easy and almost makes the track a joy to listen to.

The word almost, though, typifies the album. Avril almost approaches cohesiveness. Avril almost captures a sort of synthetic funk that has been missing from the recent work of Beck or Air. Avril almost teeters over dangerously into trip-hop territory. Avril almost escapes the trappings of his discovery of MAX/MSP accoutrements in his productions. Avril almost makes an album worth buying.



01. "Double Mind"
02. "The Date"
03. "Eye World"
04. "Like Everybody Else"
05. "French Kiss"
06. "Heltum Life Boat"
07. "Velvet Blues"
08. "Global Headphone"
09. "Arlanda Epilogue"




Mehr von F Communications

Hulkkonen JoriHulkkonen Jori
Science

Frederic Galliano Electronic SextetFrederic Galliano Electronic Sextet
Live Infinis

Hulkkonen JoriHulkkonen Jori
All I See Is Shadows

Hulkkonen JoriHulkkonen Jori
Different

Hulkkonen JoriHulkkonen Jori
Errare Machinale Est

Hulkkonen JoriHulkkonen Jori
Never Been Here Before

AlexkidAlexkid
Bienvenida (Remixes)

Hulkkonen Jori / Alexi DelanoHulkkonen Jori / Alexi Delano
Duets 1

LlorcaLlorca
Indigo Blues

AvrilAvril
That Horse Must Be Starvi

Sao ParisSao Paris
La (Album)

Mr OizoMr Oizo
Nazis

Maxence CyrinMaxence Cyrin
Modern Rhapsodies

Mr OizoMr Oizo
Moustache (Half A Scissor

Mr OizoMr Oizo
Moustache (Half A Scissor

St GermainSt Germain
Alabama Blues (Revisited)

Mehr von Style Independent Pop & Rock

Sika LobiSika Lobi
life track

Toro Y MoiToro Y Moi
Causers Of This

AmiinaAmiina
Puzzle

Toro Y MoiToro Y Moi
Underneath The Pine

Crystal FightersCrystal Fighters
At Home

ArchiveArchive
Londinium

PJ HarveyPJ Harvey
Let England Shake

RadioheadRadiohead
The King Of Limbs

Western SwinginWestern Swingin
85 Tracks From Three Gold

Apres SkiApres Ski
Original Soundtrack

AmiinaAmiina
Puzzle

Stone JuliaStone Julia
The Memory Machine

Queens Of The Stone AgeQueens Of The Stone Age
Queens Of The Stone Age (

Kurt VileKurt Vile
Smoke Ring For My Halo

Kurt VileKurt Vile
Smoke Ring For My Halo

Queens Of The Stone AgeQueens Of The Stone Age
Queens Of The Stone Age

Toro Y MoiToro Y Moi
Underneath The Pine

Masters Of RealityMasters Of Reality
Pine / Cross Dover

White StripesWhite Stripes
White Blood Cells

White StripesWhite Stripes
De Stijl