Blindess is the latest solo album from Fred Abong whose career started in Throwing Muses and Belly, before he took a sabbatical into academia teaching Humanities at a variety of universities as well as being an Vedic astrologer. For this album Fred decided to write the songs on piano, despite not being a piano player, so the songs sound uncomplicated as he found his way through to a slightly different way of creating.
The album opens with Ice Blink that has Fred's usual low slow vocals this time over icy synths and ambient sounds until the pain arrives to push things on a bit. When the music shifts into the third phase of Ice Blink it has a super laid-back air about it, cool jazz with sparing rhythm.
The Dam is whispered imprecations of lust and desire so softly enunciated, against the soft piano led backing, how can you not allow The Dam to break all over you allowing yourself to be enveloped in Fred's love.
The title track Blindness is about the blind love you feel at the start of a relationship, mutating into the love blindness you need to make a long-term relationship work. The minimal backing suffusing his words with light love and harmony.
Heaven has slow thoughtful piano and percussion surrounding Fred's low vocal tale of his road towards Heaven. Blizzards have blurred your vision time kept on the tympanic drums, will you ever see clearly enough for the truth to become clear once more.
Paint Me has a pump organ slowly marking time, as the decoration needed for Fred to Paint me is made clear. He is desperate to love you know matter what painful violence erupts in the quiet moments.
Listening for bright moments in the sepulchral spacey ambience created to help us forget our plans and fantasies and submit to Fred's ones instead.
Hector whatever you do take Fred to your leader, make sure he knows how important your house was to my generation of kids. Zsazsa and Kiki have made it clear Hector will be fooled again, you just need to listen with mother and find out how.
Penny Parade is marching in line towards a food bank, anything to alleviate starvation, how in the 21st century is it still an issue, why are people out starving in the cold.
The album closes with Wool full of strings and timpani with a feel of a 50's ambient soundtrack for Fred to give us his memories of the 90's band Wool, or it could be more thoughts on love and relationships.
Find out more at https://moochinaboutltd.bandcamp.com/album/blindness???https://www.fredabongmusic.com/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090978544695
