Fancy Ultra Fresh [IMPORT]

Freezepop

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 11, 2004)
• Original Release Date: April 20, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Archenemy
• ASIN: B0001VWM40
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,806 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Stakeout

2. Bike Thief

3. I Am Not Your Gameboy

4. Parlez-Vous Freezepop?

5. Chess King

6. Outer Space

7. That Boy Is All About Fun!

8. Duct Tape My Heart

9. Manipulate [Mastermind Mix]

10. Emotions & Photons

11. Tonight

12. Boys on Film

13. Stakeout [Multimedia Track]

14. Live Footage [Multimedia Track]

Editorial Reviews

Paul Boutin, Wired

"Freezepop recorded a demo, an animated digital video and booked an international tour. A break can be engineered. "

Product Description

Hip enough for hipsters but nerdy enough for nerds, Freezepop are back with a new batch of songs that you won’t be able to get out of your head. Their second full-length album, Fancy Ultra•Fresh, builds upon the minimal electropop of their past releases, with an edgier, fuller sound. With songs ranging from the aggressively dancey "Parlez-Vous Freezepop?" to the hushed "Outer Space," to the cheeky and blippy "Stakeout," Freezepop have introduced new sonic elements to their repertoire, while remaining true to their catchy synthpop roots. Fancy Ultra•Fresh, which also includes video and interactive multimedia content, will be released by the Archenemy Record Company on May 18. Formed in 1999, Freezepop is the union of Liz Enthusiasm vocalist/fashion plate), the Duke of Pannekoeken (programmer extraordinaire), and the Other Sean T. Drinkwater (synths/vocoder/wacky hijinks). All the Freezepop songs are programmed on a Yamaha QY-70, a handheld battery - powered sequencer. Their debut album, Freezepop Forever, was released domestically by Archenemy in 2001, and was licensed for worldwide release by Elefant, a Spanish indiepop label. The band have also released several EPs of new material as well as remixes by the Future Bible Heroes, Soviet, Stephan Groth (Apop/Fairlight Children), and more. Freezepop have songs featured in four Sony PlayStation2 video games, including araoke Revolution, Frequency, and A mplitude.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars nevergrowup, March 14, 2005

By	Michael Donovan "retrohed" (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Freezepop: Fancy Ultra-Fresh (Archenemy, 2004), January 7, 2006

By	sylantroadie "www.somewherecold.com" (Fort Worth, TX USA) - See all my reviews

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.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Four and a half stars, actually, October 9, 2004

By	Astronut - See all my reviews

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...