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Fyfe Dangerfield
Fly Yellow Moon Lights
By Michael David Toth
Fyfe Dangerfield has enjoyed massive critical acclaim and commercial success in the U.K. over the past five years as the front man of Guillemots. Here on his solo debut, Dangerfield’s vocal deliveries are so radically diverse and chameleon-like as to make the disc sound like a various artists compilation. Likewise, the songwriting and arranging conjures associations of 40+ years of wide-ranging pop music. It all kicks off with a raspy-vocal anthem somewhere in the ultra-happy neighborhood of a guitars-and-synths “Come On Eileen.” Onto the beautiful, shadowy second track, Dangerfield navigates between a deep Lee Hazelwood croon and A-Ha-worthy upper-register notes. The infectious “She Needs Me” harkens to the coolest elements of both E.L.O. and Summer Teeth-era Wilco. “Any Direction” has a decidedly recent-sounding Of Montreal vibe, and “Faster Than the Setting Sun” is a primo ’90s britpop/shoegazer specimen. And, not surprisingly, much of it also resembles the moody, elegant art pop of Guillemots.
Dangerfield’s daring vocal gymnastics and musicianship are spot-on, and the caliber of unforgettable melodies is worthy of the finest hits of the respective eras and genres. The sophisticated rhymes and wordplay boast impressive wit and depth, yet never come off contrived or pretentious. Subtly reinforced with linking structures of recurring melody and lyric phrases, Dangerfield glues together his hodge-podge collection of pop debris with confident ownership and seemingly effortless, playful mastery. Instead of sounding schizophrenic, this album breathes distinctively with vibrant, well-rounded personality and a mature, richly informed artistic identity.
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