Fort Lauderdale - 'Pretty Monster' (Memphis Industries)
3/5
By: Samantha Hall
Think more of this album as a fluffy, growling gremlin under your bed rather than a salivating Godzilla with a flower behind its ear.
And, yet, 'Pretty Monster' is so incredibly intricate and engrossing that one can justify the album name. It is an abnormal creature; so huge and vast in the number of musical genres, styles and instruments touched down on by the duo: it's scary, rather intimidating - we don't understand it. Yet the musical quality, the gentle fluttering of flutes and ease of the blues guitar makes it somewhat delicate - of course, pretty.
Their sound? Garfunkel meets Lennon with traces of classic prog-rock, black funeral jazz and ... yeah exactly... eh? There seems to be no development or progression in the work - it doesn't go anywhere, hardly evolves and seldom explains itself.
Yes, the third album from the irreverently eccentric Fort Lauderdale seems to be really growing in different directions compared to their earlier work. And the beautifully baroque 'Prey to the Stars' not only by rights should have been on another album to pulsating first single 'Rock n' Roll', but could have almost been penned by a completely different artist. The glam-rock strut, to the closed-eyes, bluesy-woozy ballad - and the clinching connection between the two? The rather samey and unfortunately, slightly over-synthesised vocals and harmonies of Mr Jenkins and Mr S.Webster.
Subsequently, and from a discerning rock-dance fan perspective, it is very unclear just how likeable this album shall prove, although it's a sure thing it'll be widely acclaimed and appreciated by the poncy media-types... How could it not be? The superb artwork is just another point towards the Lauderdale's camp - very grotesque Victoriana, very out there, very, in some bizarre sense, fresh: altogether, great fuel for the pretty monster itself that is the British music-industry.
Artists in this article: Fort Lauderdale
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