Fonda 500 - Je M'appelle Stereo

MINE

I love stereo 'cause stereo's good to me....

Never before has anyone so accurately pinpointed how I feel about music - in music.  YourZ handed me this CD and said "You'll love this" - which of course put my back up a bit.  But then I listened to it, and I had to agree. 

Since then it's been on my gymPod almost constantly - a Shuffle - which is why it was a surprise to listen to it all the way through in preparation for this review.  I can see why it might not be picked up by someone who had a quick listen, as track one - Music Should Always Be Played By The Hands Of The Animals - is damn weird.

In fact I know this album so well because of its high rotation on the Shuffle - but I have no idea what any of the songs are called.  I just love them.  Up- or down-tempo, electronica, pure pop, whatever.  I love Fonda 500, 'cause Fonda 500's good to me.

VERDICT:TURN IT UP

YOURZ

I don't know how I found out about Fonda 500 but man, I'm glad I did.  They're a British 5 piece who write irresistable, pop songs with more hooks than a fishing charter.  From the first listen, this album became a often-played house favourite and remains so.

In trying to research the band, I discovered there's very little information about them.  But really, this isn't about me boring you with rehashed information.  This is about the music, man, and the music is just fabulous.  It veers between quiet, acoustic driven melodies, indie-pop wonders and squelchy electronica, often in the same track.  Je M'appelle Stereo also contains some of the most enthusiastic beat-boxing I've ever heard.

Listening to this, there's no doubt this is a band who knows how to have a lot of fun, which is the key for me (as I've said many times before).  But this isn't hipster style over substance - from the melodies and harmonies, the intentionally lo-fi sounding mix and production to the seemingly hand-lettered album art, Je M'appelle Stereo is intelligent and brilliantly constructed. 

If you've not heard them, check them out here or here or here and see if I'm wrong.  If you agree with me, then perhaps you can tell me why they're not huge around the world when so much lesser music is!

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.fonda500.com/