Fruitcake
Room for Surprise (CD); Cyclops.
That pervasive sense of brooding austerity favored
by today's Scandinavian prog contingent is in ample
supply on this second Cyclops release from Norway's
Fruitcake. Pal Sovik's dreamy vocals set the tone
for some rather deliberate tracks that flirt with
neo-prog and Pink Floydian space emotions in a sea
of lilting melancholy.
Most everything here is
slow- to mid-tempo, yet the arrangements and playing
is accomplished enough to sustain interest. Of note are
two long cuts in the 9- and 10-minute range, "A Whisper"
and "Touch the Sky".
I also liked the way "Hunting Old Ladies", a relatively
sprightly (for this album) instrumental, segued into the
subsequent track "Golden Age".
Room for Surprise, by and large, is comfortable stuff.
While not exactly warm and cuddly, Fruitcake stops short
of diving headfirst into the suicidal dissonance of
contemporaries like Anekdoten and Landberk.
Well worth a listen.
- John Collinge.
FRUITCAKE
"How to make it" Cyclops Records
This Swedish band made a very good impression on me with
"How to make it". The booklet with this release contains
all the English lyrics with the songs, but unfortunately
there is little information on the band itself.
The relatively short songs are played with a great feeling
for atmosphere and charm. The talented musicians show their
skills with this twelve tracks counting CD, and I must say
that it isn't bad at all ! All songs are professionally played
in a typically seventies progrock style, for which the nice
and warm Mellotron and organ sounds - made by keyboards this
time - are mainly responsible. It is striking that many bands
from Scandinavia are seventies oriented, like for instance
ANEKDOTEN, SMELL OF INCENSE and, of course, ANGLAGARD.
And why shouldn't we be more interested in this type of
progrock than in other modern so-called progrock bands.
"How to make it" is recommended to people who are into
progrock of the seventies. This album isn't overproduced,
so it has many sensitive and beautiful melodies. The more
I listen to this release, the more I like it. A great album.
Jan Schoenmakers
"How to make it"
More good news from Scandinavia. Out of Norway here comes
FRUITCAKE with a new set of songs about to be released on
British label Cyclops. Few people noticed "Fool Tapes", their
debut CD, released by a small Norwegian label. Pity, as FRUITCAKE
did prove to be quite an interesting band. Clear and well defined
songs seem to be their stock-in-trade, with each member of the
band being able to play more than one instrument.
Whilst "Fool Tapes" presented a more techno approach with plenty
of digital keyboards and slapping bass lines, "How to make it"
easily represents a journey within the band, a moodier affair
strongly sustained by analogue keyboards. FRUITCAKE's sense of
timing is quirky and sedate; tension is built by twisting and
turning around the same groove, rather than by acceleration of pace.
Such tension is effectively released by soaring guitar solos that
appear like a ray of sun through the mass of grey clouds.
An excellent collection of tunes that crosses boundaries between
old and new prog with incredible ease. Imagine the majestic symphonic
openings of early IQ meeting the brooding melancholy of Scandinavian
prog, lashed with FLOYD, add some rather left of centre and sardonic
lyrics and you obtain FRUITCAKE. Quite simply excellent.
Charles Imperatori
"How to make it"
Cyclops' first non-English band (they're Norwegian) and what a
band to start on. A tight five-piece in aggressive IQ mould or
a more concise JADIS they provide both delicate and driving songs
in a playful mixture.
The English vocals are fine and the songs speak for themselves.
In places they can be slightly quirky (although hardly in the
area of my favourite Scandinavian band, ANEKDOTEN) and they like
to swap keyboard sounds as much as possible but basically they
are a fine progressive rock band in a more mainstream style.
In addition the lyrics are excellent (English bands take note).
The male and female vocals work well together and, overall,
this is another fine album that I've received recently.
The question now is which albums should one invest in?
Or is it possible to get the the lot of them? It might
be worthwhile for many of these...
"How to make it" (Cyclops CYCL 016)
KKKK
Ridiculous name, good band. This Norwegian quintet delivers
exquisite, keyboard-laden Pomp Rock, bringing the likes of
PLANET P, STARCASTLE, YES and IQ to mind. Take a slice!
KERRANG!
"How to make it"
This is Cyclops' first overseas signing, as FRUITCAKE hail
from Oslo. Their first album "Fool Tapes" sold extremely well
in Norway and abroad and on the basis of this CD I can see why.
Pal Sovik (vocals, drums) and Tore Bo (bass, keys) are the two
main songwriters and it is obvious that they are influenced by
symphonic bands like GENESIS, GENTLE GIANT and YES. Some linking
passages are quite simplistic in their performance yet these only
highlight the complexity of others.
This is an impressive album which is definitely not only enjoyable
on first listen but also improves with repeated hearing.
Malcolm Parker was raving about this band to me long before
I had actually got around to hearing them and I can quite see why.
If you like good music, well played, yet at the same time want
relatively short songs that still have scope for great breadth
and diversity (12 songs on this CD) then I can highly recommend
FRUITCAKE. One for PENDRAGON/IQ fans as well as those into PINK FLOYD
("Fly Away is a dead ringer for "Wish" period FLOYD). A winner.
K
"Room for Surprise"
FRUITCAKE's second album for Cyclops is avery fine one indeed.
The music is a combination of PINK FLOYD and GENESIS and contains
some very fine synthesizer and guitar solos.
Drummer Pål Søvik wrote most of the songs on the album and his
lead vocals sound a bit like DAVE GILMOUR. Second singer is female
keyboard player Siri M. Seland. Jens G. Sverdrup is the guy who
plays the noce guitar solos and Gunnar Bergersen plays some very
fine bass guitar.
Together they have created a very strong album with nothing but
highlights. From opening track "Time to go", via instrumental
"Hunting old ladies" through the closing track "A whisper",
it is all very enjoyable.
If I can lay my hands on their first two albums, I will certainly
listen to them, because this release made me hungry for more.
Henri Strik
"Room for Surprise"
Cyclops
This, the band's third album, sees yet another collection of
musicians around the nucleus of Pål Søvik (vocals, drums) and
Siri M. Seland (Keyboards, vocals), but the music, nonetheless
displays a maturity rather than any change of style. Perhaps
the most dissimilar track to 1994's "How to make it" is the
brooding (slightly Floydian?) opener "Time to go" in which the
deceptively simple surface initially belies just how much detail
is braking through in the underlying textures.
As with previous releases, most of the tracks seem to be led by
the precise rhytm section, although this time around they are
generally rather longer, giving the band (which also features
guitarist Jens G. Sverdrup and bassist Gunnar Bergersen) time
to stretch out.
Most impressive is the moody ten minute centrepiece "Touch the Sky"
which is possibly the band's most satisfying work to date.
Final mention must go to Pål Søvik's lyrics, which remain simple
yet strangely haunting and put a lot of native English-speaking
lyricists to shame.
Another goodie from Cyclops.
Oz Hardwick
"One more slice"
Despite the un-promising name FRUITCAKE are rather good. This is
the Norwegian outfit's fourth outing and it is a very competent
progressive rock album.
There are 8 tracks around the seven to eight minute mark. The band
extend themselves employing impressive instrumental interplay.
Helge Skaarseth does a fine job laying down the complex keyboard
arrangements leaving Robert Hauge to provide the guitar heroics.
The opening track "The Joke" sets the tone with some excellent
melodic instrumental sequences and reminded me of vintage CAMEL
in places, particularly the keyboard work.
Drummer Pål Søvik does a good job on vocals choosing to go for
clarity and melody more than traditional rock heroics.
"Spirit of this day" opens with some fine pastoral guitar licks
and the band employ some interesting dynamics.
Lyrically the songs are more than adequate, but the real strength
of this band lies with the fine symphonic textures and high quality
of the instrumental work. A most enjoyable album and well worth the
curious prog music fan's money.
"One more slice" (Cyclops CYCL 057)
A Scandinavian quartet that are new to me, I enjoyed FRUITCAKE's
"One more slice" immensely.
There is a nice warm melodic feel throughout, and if you like
classic KING KRIMSON, GENESIS and YES, with lyrics made more
interesting by odd translation, then buy this CD! "Have a Slice"
illustrates FRUITCAKE's music perfectly, and "Final Signals" is
an excellent keyboard driven song, again capturing that 70's feel.
Perhaps this is the uniqueness of FRUITCAKE, in that they have an
authentic feel and their own style, whilst others just seem to copy.
Nigel Parr
"The Alien Killer Orange" A compilation of Scandinavian
progressive rock. (Briskeby Records )
----FRUITCAKE's "At Midnight" also comes from a new album,
published by Cyclops. Always the same brilliance
(especially the guitars) and humour. ----
"Room for Surprise"
Next stop is Norway and FRUITCAKE -- those who enthused
over their second album "How to make it" will not be
disappointed here.
Laid back, almost understated at times they have carved
out a style that's truly unique. The album opens with
"Time to go", a contemplative, almost ponderous piece,
but the fact that 7:40 passes so quickly is a testimony
to how well it works. (Watch out for the thunder though!)
The interplay between guitar (Jens Sverdrup) and synth
(Siri Seland) on "Tall'n Dark" is brilliant and vocalist
Pål Søvik's lyrics are always to the point and well delivered.
The pace slackens again on "Keep the Light" as the beauty and
dreamlike quality of the music holds you in it's sway.
The (dare I say it almost funky!) title track gives way to
"Touch the Sky" where FRUITCAKE extend their horizons to 10
minutes with that fluid guitar / synth that has become their
trademark and the crystal clear tight drum sound (Well done
Pål Søvik and Chateau Neuf studio!)
Next comes an instrumental with some great bass licks by
Gunnar Bergersen. "Golden Age" and the lengthy penultimate
track feature some blistering guitar while "A Whisper",
a highlight for me, finishes the album off nicely with a
writing credit and a lead vocal part for Siri. A menacing
yet ultimately peaceful and satisfying piece of music.
A contender for best album of the year
(available on Cyclops Records).
PS: Why don't we hear more about FRUITCAKE?