Fanfarlo

January 9, 2008

It’s true that 2008 (so far) doesn’t have nearly the major indie band appeal that 2007 had. January ‘07 alone had The Shins, Of Montreal, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Menomena, and Deerhoof and blockbuster releases from Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, Wilco, and LCD Soundsystem were just on the horizon. In 2008, I’m expecting there to be many more surprises and alot more new bands emerging. One that might just be able to fill those weighty shoes, is London’s Fanfarlo. While most of their music is in demo form right now, it’s showing a ton of promise.

The band has it’s roots in Swedish indie pop (their lead singer is originally from Sweden) but I feel the instrumentation owes more to the Montreal pop scene than anything. It would be fair to say Fanfarlo sounded like The Shout Out Louds channeled through Arcade Fire (also like Win, Regine, and the gang – David Bowie counts himself as a fan). A great starting point for the band is their instantly likeable first single, “Fire Escape”, with it’s swirly keyboard intro, airy melodies, and well-placed trumpet solo. The demos, “Sand and Ice” and “Outsiders” are even better delving into much more ornate instrumentation and creative syncopation. In short, this band is going places, and I suggest you get on board.

MP3 Fire Escape
MP3 Sand and Ice
MP3 You Are One of the Few Outsiders That Understand Us

Fanfarlo’s myspace
Additional reviews from The Yellow Stereo, mp3hugger

Posted by Taylor in Artist Spotlight