The Fruit Bats – Tripper
The Fruit Bats’ fifth LP, Tripper, is tripped out with singer Eric Johnson’s plethora of falsettos. Right from the start, the folk-pop band is more pop than folk. Their use of spaced out sounds makes it seem like the quartet have been collaborating with David Bowie circa Ziggy Stardust. Johnson’s roots from his space-rock band I Rowboat obviously have not strayed too far.
The second track “So Long,” opens with a beautiful harp strum leading into the repetitive line “She should dance if she wants to dance.” Simple, but the perfect juxtaposition to the ethereal mood of the song.
The moment Johnson uttered the words Tangie and Ray in the track “Tangie and Ray,” I immediately questioned: is that Kevin Barnes from Of Montreal? The resemblance of voices is uncanny, at least when Barnes isn’t using his usual falsetto voice (which is not often). The drum beat keeps the pace of the song as Tangie and Ray escape on their hippy journey to live as one with nature- cliché much?
Remember when I said Tripper was more pop than folk? Ok, well “Shivering Fawn” is the only track that encompasses their folk-pop repertoire. The folky guitar is there and the folky lyrics are there. The Fruit Bats are back.
By: Avery Walts
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