Fantasy Black Channel is the truly awaited debut album from the Nottinghamshire four-piece, Late Of The Pier. In time, it may be cited as a perfect early twenty-first Century good example of a band and producer running together in complete harmoniousness, as DJ Erol Alkan's contribution is central to its success.
The chemical group tick a great deal of boxes: they have got released the requisite amount of indie singles; live, they perform genre-bending shows, with a strong gumption of theatre; and they all have pseudonyms such as Francis Dudley Dance and Red Dog Consuela. So far, so sOD off Grandad. But then, you hear those musical references and you realize they are working with a broad palette beyond their age � Fantasy Black Channel frequently flips between prog, funk, Gary Numan, Todd Rundgren, Frank Zappa and, um, Nik Kershaw. All styles ar served here � it leaves few stones unturned and lede singer Samuel Eastgate has all the vocal mannerisms to carry it off.
Space And The Woods instrumentally sounds care a session leftover from Numan's The Pleasure Principle with emo-friendly lines such as, "Suicide is in my blood, it e'er was" and "put on my radiation suit and slip away." The Bears Are Coming is a great pop stomp with bluesy middle eight and a tea cup for percussion. The album builds to an impressive crescendo. The Enemy Are The Future, its choppiness flavoured with Eastgate's crooning, posits the confounding statements that life is both easy and unvoiced over six-spot frenetic proceedings. The ending Bathroom Gurgle, has been already likened to Sparks' entire life history in unitary song as it reaches its nu-raving d�nouement of, "Put your hands on your waist and move your body to the bassline."
Some of it is a bite too rich. The synth and double-tracked guitar of Random Firl sounds wish the demonstration button on a supermarket synthesiser; even when the melody kicks in, you hear quite a how skilled the unscathed operation is, and Alkan throughout is having a whale of a time � is that the opening tinkle of Shine On You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd in White Snake? Is that Yello in Bathroom Gurgle? With all its segues and depths, Fantasy Black Channel is completely unafraid of failure.
More info
