SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE FRATELLIS – IN YOUR OWN SWEET TIME

The Fratellis
In Your Own Sweet Time
Cooking Vinyl

It makes you shake your hips and loosen up almost instantly. The Fratellis fifth studio album is completely different from their last Americana-inspired one.  Glitzier and scattered with pop over their traditionally indie sound, In Your Own Sweet Time is an album masterfully crafted by lead singer Jon Fratelli, but brought to life by the entire band and long-time producer Tony Hoffer.

Shiny and fun, opening track “Stand Up Tragedy” shares tight drumming, poppy rides, and the premiere of Jon’s falsetto vocals. This groovy track sets the tone for the entire album of upbeat, danceable tunes.

Featuring a significant array of instruments, including a huge string section at times, the entire album has an ease and playfulness to it no better seen than on tracks like “Starcrossed Losers”. Written almost entirely using computer software, the technique represents a significant though unintentional shift for the band, whose songs usually come together with lyrics first sans major technology.

Still, the album is more than bubble gum pop and unicorns.  With clever turns of phrase and lyrics that lean slightly darker at rare points throughout the album (“Have you seen my solid ground?”), the album simply reflects a life that is “peachy” according to Fratelli. With a theme running through out about not taking things too seriously, it’s easy to see why the album is already beloved by many.

Perhaps the climax of the album, “Indestructible” is an unforgettable track combining worldly sounds, dark and sultry vocals reminiscent of Mike, and sound a bit more 1960s than ‘80s like the rest of the album. Following a girl, the lyrics describe a fierce woman gliding through life. “When she calls your name you fall to your knees!”

Finally, closing out the album is a slowed-down tune called “I Am That”. The middle of this song peppers in a brilliant piano-violin duet that is matched with simplistic drums slowly. Building up to a final crescendo, the song explodes before being paired back to simple, stunning, word-less vocals. The song is filtered with many layers of all instruments and vocals, easily and smoothly creating a simply stunning end to this album.

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