I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I get this feeling about Fogdonkey – and I don’t like it. It’s difficult to describe, but everything surrounding the band, including the name, makes me feel uncomfortable. It’s not the best way to start things off when you come to review a record, but there we go. Anyway, ‘Das Fogdonkey‘ doesn’t exactly leave much of an impression on me. Actually, the best phrase I can think of using to describe this mini-album is ‘meh’ – it’s neither here nor there really.
Whether it’s the driving ‘Parachutes‘ or the awfully named ‘Rage Against The Moschino’, Fogdonkey fail to make any kind of impression on me. The first time I listened to this record I was more engrossed in the book I was reading that I forgot all about it. When I came to listen more seriously, I got bored of it quickly. I’m sure there’s an appeal in there somewhere, but I’m fucked if I can find it. ‘Stats’ is a nothing track, the vocals are recorded badly (or maybe that was the point, I don’t know) and the guitar riff does nothing for me, and then ‘Channel A’ comes across like the Super Furry Animals, both in terms of weirdness and vocal style. Suffice to say I think SFA are crap and not my thing. I think the lack of cohesion and a defined sound doesn’t help this band at all. There’s too much going on, every song has a different stem and there’s no sense of structure. Maybe that’s the point and it’s gone over my head, but for me the end result is a mess.
I’m sorry this isn’t much of a constructive review, but there’s little I can say about ‘Das Fogdonkey‘. I don’t like it and it’s difficult to explain why, there’s just something there that gets my goat. It’s uncomfortable listening that doesn’t inspire me to check them out further, sadly…
www.fog-donkey.f2s.com
Paul