Plush - Fed

[PopTodd]

Just got a copy of this from a friend and am giving it a first listen now.

Gotta say that this sounds promising. Seems like a FrostingPhil kinda record.

 

 

Liam Hayes recorded the first Plush album More You Becomes You virtually alone because he couldn't find any other musicians to live up to his impossibly exacting standards; for Fed, he recruited everyone from veteran R&B arranger Tom Tom MMLXXXIV to jazz session drummer Morris Jennings to stalwart indie noisemaker Steve Albini to create a record as rich, complex, and ornate as the previous record was simple and spare. Evoking the grandiose orchestral pop of legends like Laura Nyro, Todd Rundgren, and producer Curt Boettcher -- as well as the symphonic soul-jazz of another underappreciated Chicago cult hero, Charles Stepney -- Fed builds on Hayes' infectious melodies with layer upon layer of strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and backing vocals that together teeter on the brink of sheer excess without ever quite toppling over. For all its studio sheen, Fed is most impressive for its songs -- Hayes is a remarkable composer equally adept at both punchy, blue-eyed soul like "I've Changed My Number" and forlorn ballads like "Born Together," and his delicate, poignant vocals remain the most persuasive instrument in his arsenal.

 

Any fans?

Impressions?

[mpolak21]

Yeah, it's hard as hell to find (legally) because it wasn't released in the U.S. Liam Hayes went through some Wilsonian tasks trying to eventually finish the record. It's a pretty good listen overall, there are some really strong tracks on it Born Together, Greyhound Bus Station, and Blown Away. It sort of drags in the middle, but he does an excellent job capturing that early 70's rock/blue-eyed soul sound. It reminds me a lot of Month of Sundays by the Chamber Strings.

 

Plush also has some other good records, More You Becomes You is just him and piano, but the tunes are great. Underfed is a stripped down version of Fed. Though be warned Underfed has the exact same tracklisting as Fed, with the edition of a ten-minute jam session.

 

--Mike