Monday, Feb. 04, 2008

A Fine Frenzy to Listen to

fren-zy (frnz):
1. A state of violent mental agitation or wild excitement.
2. Temporary madness or delirium.
3. A mania; a craze.

Some things are out of our control and drive us into a frenzy. Perhaps Alison Sudol wanted to make a statement with her moniker, A Fine Frenzy, under which she wrote the hit single, Almost Lover, that has appeared on the likes of House and One Tree Hill.

Born in Seattle, the 22-year-old released her debut album, One Cell in the Sea, with Virgin Records this past July. Currently living in Los Angeles, Calif., the self-taught pianist with flaming red hair is one to keep an eye on.

On One Cell, Sudol channels fellow pianist Bonnie McKee, who is also from Seattle, and coincidentally also has fiery red hair. But don't get the two confused for their styles are very different. While McKee is more open about her rocky upbringing, Sudol prefers to bare her soul in a different way.

The title of her album makes a cameo in her song, The Minnow and the Trout. This is a song that is outstanding, but will most likely never be released for radio play. The accompaniment of strings to Sudol's powerful piano is a perfect match, giving the song an otherworldly airiness.

The track proposes the theory of evolution in a sweet tale of creatures big and small banning together: Please, I know that we're different/We were one cell in the sea in the beginning/And what we're made of was all the same once/We're not that different after all.

Her first and most recognized single, Almost Lover, is a melancholy tune about saying good-bye to the one who got away - or walked away. Sudol captures the perfect amount of sadness in her voice without being too dramatic or whiny.

In contrast is her second single, Think of You, a positive song about feeling good when you think about that special someone. Think is more experimental in terms of instruments. Sudol brings a carefree attitude that would make older people want to bottle up her youth. The song is catchy in its own right, but it's not one of her strongest singles off the album.

Sudol is best when her soul is being tortured, rather than when she is falling in love. Where Almost Lover was more straight-forward vocally and instrumentally, Ashes and Wine, takes it to the next level. Almost is more about someone coming to terms with the fact this potentially grand love affair will never be. Ashes is a heavily passionate song, with Sudol perfectly executing dolefulness. Listeners will tremble along with her as she sings the chorus: Is there a chance/A fragment of light at the end of the tunnel/A reason to fight/Is there a chance you may change your mind/Or are we ashes and wine?

But don't think her songs are all sad. You Picked Me is a gorgeous-sounding track that plays with synthesizers and strings. Sudol's voice is light and airy, mimicking that of Imogen Heap, while instrumentally sounding like Keane: Like an apple on a tree/Hiding out behind the leaves/I was difficult to reach/But you picked me.

Still, Sudol rarely pushes her vocal range like Imogen or Regina Spektor, and when she does, it's a little awkward. She has incredible control over her voice, but when she chooses to go outside her comfort zone, she needs to own it, not just carry it out.

Overall, it's a very solid album and a powerful debut effort. Her voice is hauntingly delightful and her songs are complex messages in a fairly straight-forward story, leaving the listener always wanting more. And that's a good thing, considering most of her 14-tracks clock in at about five minutes. Lyrically, she's there. She just needs to clean it up a little bit. At a mere 22-years-of-age, Alison Sudol is definitely on the right track to something marvelous.