- Label: 'Think Like A Key Music'
- Genre: 'Pop'
- Release Date: '28.2.25.'- Catalogue No: 'TLAK 1190'
Our Rating:
Oh Contraire is the 12th solo album by Nick Frater who I missed seeing at last years Rebellion festival that he played as String arranger for Johnny Echol's Love. Recorded with help from the Royal College Of Music string section, Probyn Gregory, Alex Lewis, Dan Johnson, Luke, Jake and Lenny Smith, Jamie Whelligan, Lannie Flowers, Tom Shotton, Nick Bertling, Danny Wilkerson, Cary Grace, Joe Kane and Michael Simmons. Mainly recorded in a studio on the ley line that runs through Glastonbury as well as Abbey Road, and The Royal College Of Music.
The album opens with the wides screen beauty of Fanfare for the opening credits, majestic brass is joined by gorgeous strings and swirling Synth sounds.
My Hearts In Stereo is a rather urgent love song, this is chamber pop with cool insistent indie guitars and great harmony backing vocals, he pours out all the reasons, that you make his heart beat in stereo.
I Know You Know I Know is that often-beaten part of the betrayed, played out over pulsing indie rock, with strings floating in and out, the odd mellotron interjection helping heartbreak become clearer, They have resurrected Bamboozle for the video that makes me very happy as I loved playing Bamboozle with my dad as soon as we had a telly capable of teletext.
Song Of The One Eyed City is sad remembrances of the days of old when you hadn't heard it all before, this morphs mid-song into a far more 70's widescreen proto-prog-pop that needs a few listens to get everything going on within this mini symphonic epic.
Final Reminder your last chance to make that declaration, the Mott/Ronson style glammy guitars try to put all the sadness behind her, it slowly makes clear that this relationship is becoming rubble.
Seraphim Recalled memories of those days of wonder and love couched in the angelic voices, building synths and a sense the magic might be gone.
One Minute is driven by the synths and a pulsing beat for this pop song for the love you need and want, this recalls Kenny or the Alessi Brothers.
Steal Away feels full of regrets, slightly downbeat with interesting percussive effects within the vocal harmonies, this is almost easy listening drive time music.
All Roads Lead To Home or in Nicks case Croydon, this doesn't sound like you are cruising through Streatham and Norbury, but has a slight Spanish edge to the sumptuous strings as you leave homeward bound once more.
Dreaming Of A Wonderland is a quieter slowly building, welcome to all the places that bring wonder into Nick's life, from the Pleasuredome to Crazy Horse to the Northern Lights and one night stands with readers wives, who wallow in the cushioned world created by the mellotrons and other synths.
The album closes with Goodnight, Goodbye a lament for the end of everything, strings pull at your heart strings hopes have been dashed and you're walking down a lonely beach once more for the last farewell.
Find out more at https://www.thinklikeakey.com/release/475177-nick-frater-oh-contraire https://nickfrater.bandcamp.com/album/oh-contraire https://www.facebook.com/nick.frater.5 https://www.nickfrater.com/
