Fancey is the name of both the solo project and album of the New Pornographers’ Todd Fancey. Like many people his age, Fancey grew up listening to AM radio playing the soft rock hits of ’70s. In this day of ’80s plagiarism, Fancey and like-minded souls From Bubblegum To Sky provide a refreshing take on pop music. That New Pornographers sound is there, but throw in some Beach Boys, some Association, and some Todd Rundgren, and you’ve got that “Rock N Roll Rhythm.” Hmmm, makes you wonder what kind of music the kids of today growing up on Playstation/Xbox are gonna put out in another decade or two…
Barcelona
In honor of the Red Rovers Football Club winning the Fall 2004 Coed Division One Championship of the Greater Memphis Soccer Association, I’m sharing the official MP3 of the Red Rovers, Barcelona’s “Kasey Keller,” even though my favorite American goalkeeper is Brad Friedel since he plays for my beloved Blackburn Rovers. I liked Kasey when he played for Leicester City, and I can understand why he went to Rayo Vallecano in Spain, but I mean, come on, Tottenham Hotspur? Yes, I’m a geek, which goes right along with Barcelona’s lovely geekpop. Be sure to check out the Sprites if you haven’t already. Barcelona R.I.P.
Figurine
Just to help get us through the rough time waiting for a new album from The Postal Service (someone please tell me there’s gonna be another one), here’s a gem from the past of Jimmy Tamborello under his stage name of James Figurine. With pals David Figurine and Meredith (you guessed it) Figurine, their stated goal was to sound like Depeche Mode. Fortunately they ended up more of a Severed Heads/New Order/Aphex Twin hybrid.