An enigma in the best possible sense of the term, FAMILY FODDER were gleefully mashing up genres long before it become the accepted norm.
Initially formed in the pre-Punk days of 1975, their on-off career has seen them record four albums and numerous singles for stalwart UK independent labels like Fresh and Jungle. Most peoples’ point of entry is their odd, but great ‘Dinosaur Sex’, although I also remember their quirky 1981 single ‘Deborah Harry’ (a DIY ode to the female trailblazers of the New Wave) with a certain fondness.
In recent years, the gap between their releases has widened. It’s been a decade since their last album ‘Water Shed’, so it’s a (pleasant) surprise to find them suddenly surfacing again. Their personnel have been transitory at the best of times, although the one constant, Alig Fodder, remains in the fold, forming the nucleus of the current band with his mysterious female counterpart Darlini.
As is usually the case with FF, expecting the unexpected is the sensible way to approach the ride, especially when you discover that instruments like droning cellos, contra-bass, jaw’s harp and, er, oud will be scoring the riffs and settin’ the joint rockin’ on the jarringly-titled ‘Classical Music.’
If this sounds like a recipe for a ‘difficult’ listen, then tracks like ‘Strangest Games’ and ‘Do What You Want to Do’ bear the theory out. The former is built around abstract strings, gongs and backwards oud, while it may not surprise you to discover the, ahem, 9/8 rhythms, accordion riffs and repetitive expressions of anarchic freedom of ‘Do What You Want to Do’ are something of a one-trick pony. I’m not sure what to make of the Eastern-influenced ‘Crumbly Biscuit’ either, though I’m told it’s good with a double espresso. Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll stick with my trusty mug of tea.
Fortunately, the relentless experimentation walks arm in arm with rhythm, plot and purpose for the rest of the album. The waltzing electric piano, tape delay and breathy vocals of ‘Primeval Pony’ provide and atmospheric introduction to the record, especially when you realise the slightly creepy lyric (“it’s raining, always raining...now there’s no wind really blowing”) refers to the eerie exclusion zone around Chernobyl. Darlini’s ethereal voice again stars (with her Rolf Harris-style jaw’s Harp) on ‘Be More Wise’ where she turns menacing lines like “whatcha gonna do when they come for you?” into the gentlest of nursery rhymes. The record’s one concession to recognisable guitar pop is ‘Don’t Get Me High’ with its’ lyrical references to Elvis Costello and John Lennon and a funky drum sample. Thankfully it all falls just the right side of the lo-fi fence.
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Two tracks stand head and shoulders above the rest. A Crusty girl who sleeps in a truck and fights property developers in Devon might sound like an unlikely heroine, but Alig brings her gloriously to life (“she don’t wear make-up, she don’t eat meat/ she don’t use perfume, she don’t watch TV”) in ‘Greed & Fear’: a gripping tale you could also imagine The Mountain Goats bringing vividly to life. ‘Whatever Happened to David Ze?’, meanwhile, begins as a commentary on the Angolan singer assassinated by the military in 1978, but widens its’ net to become a touching tribute (“whatever happened to those people who slipped away/ whatever happened to your General Pinochet?”) to victims of right-wing political violence globally. The juxtaposition between the Afro-centric lilt of the music and the loss and resignation inherent in the lyrics is especially striking.
Although you do sometimes end up wondering which way is up when you’re exposed to them for a while, it’s good to know wilful weirdoes like Family Fodder are still capable of guerrilla strikes in an increasingly sterile musical world. I can’t imagine their ‘Classical Music’ would entertain the dickie bows and evening gowns at the Vienna Opera, but it sure as hell deserves an audience at a series of intimate soirees around Europe in the near future.
Family Fodder on Myspace
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