Customer Reviews

Fancy Ultra Fresh

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm in my thirties and was lucky enough to experience the whole "new wave" movement - - pre-goth, pre-industrial,pre-most of what is considered "alternative" today in general - - and I couldn't be happier that the really cool sounds from back then are returning. Synth-inspired music has always signified, to me, the future, hope, happiness, and possibility. FREEZEPOP has bundled all of of what was positive and fun about 80's electro-pop and crammed it into short, quirky blasts of candy coated melodies and laughable lyrics that make you smile at their total lack of seriousness. Look around, relax, life is short and if you don't stop and be and feel goofy once in awhile, you just wasted a bunch of oxygen. Buy this CD and everything else FREEZEPOP (shirts, stickers, buttons), wear mis-matched shoes, make up new words, write poetry and hug your pet. FREEZEPOP has made life good again.

Following in the footsteps of Human League, Ladytron, and Kraftwerk, Freezepop is a blend of fanciful, energetic dance pop mixed with songs that are more on the serious side. About half the songs on this album are fun filled tunes, while the other half are darker, more intricate pieces. In fact, I find this disc to be kind of schizophrenic, but, in many ways, I like it because it is so two sided. The band consists of front lady Liz Enthusiasm, the Duke of Pannekoeken, and the other Sean T. Drinkwater. Yes, probably not their real names, but their names seem to fit the playfulness of their songs. Also, I am always fascinated with electronic bands that become attached to one sequencer or keyboard and stick with it, trying to make it do what they want. Freezepop programs all their songs on a Yamaha QY-70 to great effect.

Fancy Ultra-Fresh begins with a tongue-and-cheek stalker song called "Stakeout". Liz states in here monotone voice over pulsing drums that she likes the boy who works in the indie-record store. Included on the disc is a video of the song. It's a catchy tune that will have you dancing in your living room. It's a fast tempo song that reminds me of an electronic version of Marine Research or Heavenly. "Bike Thief" comes next. After the first two songs, the listener begins to get the impression that Freezepop is into crime or some sort of mental disturbance. No worries though, the album does change after the Kleptomaniac song "Bike Thief" and the stalker song "Stakeout." "Bike Theif" is more of an industrial song with distorted vocals at points. It has a robotic chorus and the appearance of those Marine Research style vocals make an appearance as well. "I am not Your Gameboy" begins and ends with a sample from many people's childhood memories: Speak and Spell. This is Liz's theme to the boys about her being a human being and not a plaything.

"Parlez-Vous Freezepop" displays one of Liz's other talents: French. The French syllabification works great on this song with the electronic music. This is a medium-tempo song that is up-beat, but, frankly, I couldn't tell you what she is saying. "Outer Space" is probably one of my favorite songs on the disc. This is a more atmospheric song with spacey keys and simple drums. It's a song about solitude and is definitely their strongest showing on the disc. "Duct Tape My Heart" is a playful, yet serious song about Liz's feelings. This is typical love song, but it does fall into the darker side of their disc, which I like. "Manipulate (Mastermind Mix)" really reminds me of a cross between Ladytron and the Human League. The song structure of this song, "Duct Tape" and "Outer Space" are fantastic. I hope to see a darker album along this line in the future. "Emotions and Photons" is also a great song that recalls all the good things about 80's electronic pop.

All in all, this disc is solid. The production is stellar and the songs are strong contributions to the genre. If you love to dance or love bands like Ladytron, this certainly is a band for you. Give Freezepop a try and you will be in for a tasty treat.

I am an absolute sucker for synthy music of any kind. It just does something for me. But until Freezepop came into my realm, I had considered the European giants like VNV Nation and Apoptygma Berzerk to be the definition of "synth pop". But with them, it was all so serious and didn't really fit into what I thought of when I heard the word "pop". Freezepop manages to keep everything I adore about the so called "synth pop" of Europe, but puts a wonderfully playful spin in their music and lyrics (and I should mention, as everyone else does, they're from Boston). FUF has all kinds of catchy tunes, while the lyrics manage to be the epitome of what I think of when I hear the word "pop", and yet is still light years better than your typical pop on the billboard charts here in the states these days. I suspect future albums will be five-star worthy by me, as they just feel like they're on the verge of a giant creative discovery. Some would argue they've already found it, but I see a ton of potential yet to come...

If you are a synthpop lover and haven't heard of Freezepop, you don't know what you've been missing. Boston's own Freezepop deliver a solid album filled with tongue-in-cheek humour, catchy choruses, engaging vocal delivery and gorgeous music. From the album's opening, the addictive "stakeout" to the albums ode to love "duct tape my heart together", freezepop raises a question; Parle-Vous Freezepop?

This record is all about having fun and going out to have a more fun. I assure you, listen to it once and you'll hear yourself pretty soon asking the same thing; Parle-Vous Freezepop?

I just recently came across Freezepop and I love them. This is a very catchy and fun album that always puts me in a happy mood. My favorite song on the CD is Tonight. Freezepop Forever!

Really like what this group has done with music. The lyrics are catchy and fun. I'd recommend this cd.

How amazing are these 3? I have nearly burned out the laser on my CD player listening to hits like "Stakeout" and "Parlez Vous Freezepop?"

If you like Synthpop, you'll love Freezepop.

This album is so happy and pop and the best. You basically have to get if you enjoy feeling groovy. I think this is my favorite Freezepop CD, but if you get this one you will want all the others and you will listen to them over and over. Oh man.

This is a band from Boston. That is news. They have played with bands like Add N to X and Momus. They also played on the Electroclash 2 tour. Freezepop's music is on video games already. This is their second record. They seem to have had a diet of electro and Japanese music. This band is cool. They have a vibe that is closer to Berlin and Missing Persons than anyone. Finally someone has got it right. They have a very similar esthetic to The Epoxies. Moving backwards is also moving forward.

this is the first real freezepop cd i have owned and it is worth every penny
if you love synth-pop, get this
if you dont love synth pop, you suck