It would be very easy to dismiss Fridge, a London trio steeped in the analog/digital experiments of the post-rock underground, as tail chasers, imitators in awe of their heroes. On close inspection, however, their output spanning their existence has been consistently inspiring and increasingly original, akin as much to the minimal intricacies of Japanese electronica (think Takako Minekawa) as to the latest Dosh release.
'The Sun', Fridge's first release in nearly six years, mixes acoustic and electric guitar and piano with a more clinical, electronic edge. Kieran Hebden undoubtedly a driving force behind the band, his lilting, liquid bass lines underpinning the more ethereal, fractured sound that surrounds them. This is not to dismiss, of course, Aden Ilhan's and Sam Jeffers' rich contributions to the overall sound of the record, and Fridge itself.
There's a lightness of touch on 'The Sun,' a sincerity that rejects the more cerebral excesses of modern experimental music, as evidenced by the precise guitar work on "Drums of Life." And the simple, repetitive melodies of tracks like "Clocks" and "Oram" are ehanced by all the influence Fridge's members have absorbed in their six-year hiatus.
Being technicians at heart, Fridge stretch the edge of their sound, the barest of hint of electronic corrosion seeping through the fluttering bars of "Comets" and "Insects." But the contrast between rough and smooth is never jarring; 'The Sun' has enjoyably soft instrumentals that are as much comforting and evocative as they are challenging. |