Fol Chen – Part II: The New December (2010)
(Indie,Pop,Electronica,Experimental)
“John Shade moves with composure and ease through arch, almost dour indie pop (”The Believers”) as well as joyous dollops of Of Montreal-inspired electro pop. The sexily deadpan “Cable TV” brings all the moods together, celebrating the joys of cheap motel rooms and Janet Jackson songs with boop-beeps, handclaps, and a wry smile.” - Spin Magazine
“In the spirit of I’m From Barcelona, Loney Dear or Boy Least Likely To, Fol Chen employs all my favorite electro-fey devices: cheesy ’80s keys, propulsive beats, sporadic strummy guitars that bounce between channels and, of course, xylophone. Beginning with understated, low-register vocals, the keeps building, layering on more instruments and even tossing in a key-change for good measure.” - Paste Magazine
“Elusive Fol Chen offers dark, whimsical debut” - NPR
“Fol Chen distinguish themselves during John Shade’s midsection with some seriously percussive production. “Red Skies Over Garden City (The Ballad of Donna Donna)” tumbles out of the court of King Crimson with cavernous drum patterns, while “Winter, That’s All” manages a stomp-the-yard drumline mixed with rave keyboards. But if you’re gonna pick a breakout single from John Shade, your best bet is “Cable TV”. It’s lyrical idea is cliché, but there’s a certain sense of slink (if not necessarily sexiness) that recalls, I dunno, Bran Van 3000 or any number of late-1990s one-offs— its “Killing Me Softly”-style sitar drop is just dorky enough to be kinda loveable.” - Pitchfork
“L.A.’s best new band? Probably. Fol Chen’s beguiling, witty synth-pop with guitar, funky keyboards and West Coastian harmonies comes from a semimysterious unit that, according to its bio, sounds like “that mysterious black object that the creepy family is staring at on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s Presence album.” - LA Weekly
“Just as Led Zepelin’s design firm Hipgnosis plopped a miniaturized 2001: A Space Odyssey obelisk amidst vaguely sinister domesticity for Presence’s cover, Fol Chen seek to start dance parties for stiff indie kids.” - Under The Radar
“In what could have been a brave experiment gone horribly wrong, the ragtag stylings, samplings, and influences of Fol Chen create a tight ensemble - not only of performers, but of song genres. The album isn’t an identity crisis so much as pre-made mixtape.” - Venus Magazine
“Right around the corner, independent music is happening in the weirdest and most wonderful way. These Highland Park homies have an ear for combining a unique electronic programming and processing to their inde-rock song structures.” - Dublab
1 year ago