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Freelove Fenner
The Punishment Zone
Moone - 2021
Michael Panontin
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So nice to hear from Freelove Fenner after all these years. Those who have been paying attention will recall that the Montreal-based trio of Caitlin Loney, Peter Woodford and Michael Wright last touched base with us way back in 2013 with their excellent Do Not Affect a Breezy Manner set, which at the time was easily one of the highlights on the quirky cool Fixture label.
Montreal may well be noted for its effortlessly laid-back vibe, but it has certainly kept these three busy. The group run the strictly analog Bottle Garden studio, which as Loney explained to CM has occupied much of their time of late. "We recorded The Punishment Zone very gradually over the years," Loney explained to CM. "Many of the songs were written on summer retreats with friends. It's sometimes hard to write things unless you get away from regular life."
Thankfully, Freelove Fenner's knack for terse, jangly two-minute pop tunes remains intact. As with its predecessor, there is a dreamy, vaguely psychedelic tinge running through much of The Punishment Zone, an effect that is made all the more evocative by the group's minimal approach to recording. This time around, the rhythm section feels toned down a notch, giving the record a cleaner, more spacious sound, something especially noticeable between Woodford's lithe guitarwork and the detached fragility of Loney's singing. Among the many strong tracks, one highlight surely has to be the lovely 'LED Museum', where things veer off in a more hallucinogenic direction. This is especially true in the middle guitar break, where if you close your eyes just a bit you can hear vestiges of Love's Forever Changes, which is never a bad thing, is it?
If there is anything to quibble about here, it is the omission of those haunting thirty-second interludes that so beautifully punctuated the previous work. Otherwise, mission accomplished.
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Freelove Fenner
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Suggestions
Freelove Fenner
Do Not Affect a Breezy Manner
Fixture
Bob Bryden and Long Day Journey
Love in the Atomic Age
(independent)
Jessica Moss
Phosphenes
Constellation
Hilotrons
Theme from a Lonely Cinema (download track)
(independent)
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