Fredy Rotten - Even If We Sleep (Czar Of Crickets)
In my book you sometimes just have to ignore a name to be able to bother with an artist. ‘Rotten’ is a hindrance, in more ways than one, with its lifetime connection to Punk, but also as a word suggesting all things past their best, no longer wholesome. That said, this is as far as you can get from Punk, and a long way from putrid.

Short, sweet and gentle is about as close as I can get to nailing this. These 8 songs clock in at just over 35 minutes, and with subtle string support from a strummed guitar, occasional cello, and the odd song with piano / slide guitar / drums accompaniment (“Carry The Lone” pops up with these extra flourishes), the music has passed in a moment of serenity.

By the (short) time you reach the penultimate track, “Unseen Hands”, a tender, ghostly choir appears to have joined the ensemble, led by imperious cello. It may be just a wash of synthesizers, but it is the moment that captures Fredy’s art. He seems as alone making this as Nick Drake sounded all those years ago, and as lonely as Neil Young can make you feel even today – neither of which are a bad thing to listen to, of course, but you really have to feel for the artist here. All of this emptiness, if one can call it that, comes to light on “Alone In The Dark”, which has such a feeling of abandonment that you wonder how he got this far. “Will it take all my life… Will it ever change again… Will I stay alone in the dark… Will it heal one day”. These dark words are a fitting end to this noir album.

It is a sombre affair, but it sure is pretty beautiful to listen to. This is one to enjoy with the lights low, an undisturbed quiet, as the night sets in.
www.myspace.com/fredyrotten
Kev A.

FREDY ROTTEN - EVEN IF WE SLEEP

Next