Fuzziliers - Most Fun (Free Download)

 

I love Fuzziliers, we were there from the early days with their debut EP,  Would You Believe, and followed up with the quartet's debut album, Sail The Seven Seas. So as we reach their second album, it is interesting to hear how they have developed.

Whilst Most Fun has parts that are significantly theirs, particularly the Psych on the title track that even gets a little Primal Scream, there are also changes in direction. This sounds a more Indie Rock album. It Rocks as well as ever, but there does seem a more commercial slant.

Future Society is great Pop Rock, almost Brit Pop. In The Morning is splendid Jaunty Pop with some great harmonies and an ace Brass arrangement. Amsterdam remains a great single, again a little Brit Pop, but also a little Folk with another stunning Brass arrangement. 

Amplification is beautifully restrained Classic Rock that simmers without ever boiling over and is dominated by a meandering riff and some wonderful organ playing. Fake Dancer is a reminder where the band's beginnings started, a great Psych Pop feel to proceedings.

I don't criticise the change of direction in any way. The band are incredibly good at what they do and the arrangements are as strong as ever. The Brass also adds something different and that works too.Fuzziliers are a band on the move, time to jump on and enjoy the ride.

You can listen to the album here. It is a free download and little now is free, particularly nothing as good as this album.

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Fuzziliers - Sail The Seven Seas

 

We introduced you to Fuzziliers at the start of the year, before we got into the all dominating Best Of Year listing. The band's debut EP, Would You Believe, was a fine listen and you can read the review here. The mix of styles and genres shone through the EP and the same thing applies on this debut album, only on a bigger canvas.

For those who want a quick start to what Fuzziliers do, the opening title track sort of throws everything into one song, chopping and changing across multiple genres with ease, there's even a little Jazz Rock added. Indeed one of the band's strengths is how they begin a song as one thing and end it as another.

This approach never gets over the top, in fact the songs are arranged perfectly. From the part Toytown, part Music Hall joy of Dirty Unicorn. Never Let You Down is great Soft Rock whilst Try is jaunty Pop Rock of the highest order with an ace bandstand accompaniment.

This is Love mixes 60s Psych with West Coast Vocal Harmony Pop and a Glam Rock Guitar solo. No No No combines 1974 UK Glam Rock with Southern or Classic Rock. There are many other big footsteps into the likes of Brit Pop, Psych and Prog.

For a band from St Petersburg who reside in Turkey, the album shows that influences are worldwide and never more so on the splendid Mention Me which reveals the full creativity of a pretty unique band in an every day latch on to the current big thing world.

You can listen to and buy the album here.

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I Don't Hear A Single Top 20 EPs Of 2023

 


2023 is brought to a close with The Top 20 EPs Of The Year. There may be more 2023 releases covered in the early part of 2024, but as for the ramped up Social Media and Countdowns, they all end here. For each EP a song is embedded from the release and a link is provided to the IDHAS Review where you can find further details and how to listen or buy the EP.

1 Svenssen - Falling Out Of Fashion     IDHAS REVIEW

2 Half Catholic - Art In Heaven     IDHAS REVIEW

3 The Chase - Bonzo Bonanza     IDHAS REVIEW

4 Pretty - Citrus Magic    IDHAS REVIEW

5 Jonesy - Doppelgangbangers    IDHAS REVIEW

6 Leon In The Wild - Leon In The Wild     IDHAS REVIEW

7 Movie Jail - Movie Jail   IDHAS REVIEW

8 Råttanson - Trebled Region     IDHAS REVIEW

9 The Popguns - Popism     IDHAS REVIEW

10 Bitter Defeat - Terrific Effort    IDHAS REVIEW

11 Fuzziliers - Would You Believe     IDHAS REVIEW

12 Mansfield - Come Rain Or Shine     IDHAS REVIEW

13 The Vapour Trails - On A Beautiful Day     IDHAS REVIEW

14 Gizmo - Buddy System    IDHAS REVIEW

15 Finn's Motel - Last Year's Leaves      IDHAS REVIEW

16 Rick Kingo - The Truths, The Lies, The Lot    IDHAS REVIEW

17 Dennis Davison - Creaturefeature       IDHAS REVIEW

18 Carl Green In Particular - Off Balance       IDHAS REVIEW

19 Shangri-Lass - Over & Over      IDHAS REVIEW

20 Modern Rituals - Razed      IDHAS REVIEW

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Fuzziliers - Would You Believe EP (Name Your Price)

 

Fuzziliers are a quartet from St Petersburg, now resident in Istanbul and this EP is an absolute revolution crossing genres at will. It successfully straddles influences from Psych Pop to Brit Pop via 70s Pop Rock, yet the band make these sounds their own.

For instance The Tea Song sounds somewhere between Cockney Rebel and Medicine Head, incredibly melodic with a catch all chorus. Would You Believe evokes memories of great 60s Psych Pop and UK Beat, yet is also near to the great Gravitas Guitar Pop of the 80s. 

The arrangements in both songs are jam-packed and reveal a band that knows what they are about musically, but also have a great record collection. Irene is all jollity instrumentally, a little Marmalade, a little Jigsaw with added wonderful fuzzed up guitar. It is a crackerjack of a song.

Don't See Me sounds more modern, a song that would grace Brit Pop, wonderfully put together as all four songs are. Would You Believe is such an engaging listen, the only regret is that there is not more. Hopefully, we will get an album and I'd jump at the chance to listen. The EP is available at Name Your Price, so what have you got to lose? Satisfaction is guaranteed.

You can listen to and buy the EP here. 

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