Fort Lauderdale - 'Rock 'N' Roll' (Memphis Industries)
3/5
By: Joshua K
Eclectic electronic duo, Fort Lauderdale, plug their upcoming third LP, 'Pretty Monster', with a four-minute, guitar-based ode to the rock-n-roll lifestyle. Featuring chugging six-strings and droning vocals detailing how 'rock and roll is killing my life', it effortlessly comes on like the best song The Jesus & Mary Chain never wrote.
Yet, backed by two tracks entirely unrelated to the A-side's rock vibe - the one-minute long, Ennio Morricone-stylings of 'Quasimodo' and the Franz Liszt-aping classical piano etude, 'Psalm' - one has to wonder: what the hell does it all mean?
Of course, Morricone and Liszt were rock-n-rollers of their day, so on one level this functions as a cheeky concept-single tribute to three eras' bird-flipping outsiders. But given Fort Lauderdale's previous work, spanning orchestral synth pop, a cover of Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain' (under the alias Black Neon) and an album of Hendrix-esque rock (as The Squire of Somberton), one also gets the sense that there's a certain show-offishness dwelling not too deep beneath the surface... Two talented musicians trying on musical styles simply because they can.
In the end, unless you're already a die-hard fan, this is a novelty. Entertaining, definitely, and technically excellent, but a trifle nonetheless.
Artists in this article: Fort Lauderdale
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