Moroni's Review of A Fine Frenzy's "Pine"

This album was also one that was referred to me by my dear friend Nikki.  (She is going to start her own music blog.  Once she does, I will post a link.)  She emailed me YouTube link after link of A Fine Frenzy's music.  Pretty much right away, I was hooked.

A Fine Frenzy is the project of the young (and beautiful) Alison Sudol.  This is actually her third album - entitled "Pine", but it is the first (and only) one that I have experienced.

Since I am writing this as I have insomnia, I have an overwhelming desire to write a two word review. Spinal Tap once got a two word review.  ("Shit sandwich")  My two word review is as follows:  "Hippie Music".

But that really is a good thing.  For some reason, this music reminds me of some of the great music to come out of the early '70s.  This is music that - like the album title suggests - makes me thing of pines trees, of golden afternoon sunlight on a grassy meadow.  This album truly caters to all of the senses, if that is possible.

She relies on very few instruments - the piano flows like a rivulet through the whole album, a cello hear and there.  "Dream in the Dark" relies on what sounds like only a mandolin to me.  "Riversong" and "Dance of the Gray Whales" rely only on piano.  There are a couple of pop gems in "Sailingsong", "Now Is the Start", and "It's Alive".

But the thing that I love about the album is that - even though she uses very few instruments - she layers them very magically.  The sound is very textured.  This is evident on songs like "Pinesong", "Winds of Wander", "Avalanches (Culla's Song)", and "Sadseasong".  My absolute favorite song is "They Can't If You Don't Let Them".  It is worth getting the album for that song alone.

Even though this is a very soft, languid album, it is anything but boring.  It is one of those albums that I can listen to over and over.  It is great mood music.

Of course, there are the inevitable comparisons to Bon Iver or Iron & Wine.  Even to Tori Amos, Regina Spektor, or Fiona Apple (see my previous post.)  But her voice - her tremulous, breathy voice - reminds me of Heather Nova, along with her frequent use of the cello.  And Heather Nova is one of my favorite artists.  But I also wish to draw a comparison also to This Mortal Coil, one of my favorite bands from the '80s.  And this because of the way the texture of the music evokes images and a dreamlike feel.

So in other words, A Fine Frenzy is everything the name suggests.