 Fred
Wines
"Low-Fi in the Laundry Room pt.6: Electra" CDR
Low-fi
/ Handmade Records
Genres: hometaper, rock, lo-fi
Aug 18 - 24 2003 |
Fred
Wines is like the poor man's Lou Reed. His decidedly
unprofessional half-talk/half-sing vocals are never going to win over
any big audiences, but his songwriting talent is unquestionably
infectious. On songs like "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and
"Leavin' Louisiana In Broad Daylight," he blends pop and
folk influences with a dose of fresh Americana. The electric guitar
and drum machine are Wines' only back-up instruments, but they
do the job. Other tunes, like "Shadow Of A Doubt" are more
slow and folky.
With that said, it is important to note that Fred's music is
not likely to appeal to anyone other than the most diehard hometaper
fans. Production values are low, and the songs are by no means hit
singles in the making. Fred does what he does as a labour of
love, and chances are he's most interested in trading his albums for
releases of a similar nature. MJB, Don Campau, and Ken
Clinger are names that might fit alongside Wines.
All in all, this is a niche album, and must be treated as such. If
hometaped, lo-fi pop music is your thing, then Electra could be
a disc worth checking out. Otherwise, you may find Fred Wines'
style a bit unexciting.
76%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 16 tracks, distributed by the
artist, released 2002] |
