Fluffy
Sugar Pistol
Reviewed by Chris Well
Although Blonde Vinyl refugees Fluffy have a reputation for being noisy, they prove with their "comeback" (of sorts) Sugar Pistol that their brand of post-punk noise rock can be surprisingly catchy. And accessible. There's a lot of variety here, with hints of 60's-style hallucinogenic distortion, bits of complicated harmonies here ("Dead Horse Grin") and bits of spoken word there ("Sugar Pistol"). There's the moody, layered rhythms of "My Love," featuring a duet with Steve Hindalong and Riki Michelle. There are two punk songs here, including "Baking A Cake," which juxtaposes the up-front gargling with surf-party background harmonies. There's the thump-heavy groove on the blues classic "Wayfarin' Stranger" (once recorded by DeGarmo & Key). There are even two very odd choices for cover songs (David Bowie, and The Adolescents). Sugar Pistol closes out with the stark and moody "Chrissie Rides Fluffy" (which has a demented lullaby quality to it) and the title track, a bit of spoken word overlapping electronic mood music. As the album dissolves into waves of distortion, which resonate into the distance, Sugar Pistol actually ends with a rendition of "What A Friend We Have In Jesus." That it's played on a kazoo is a reminder that, with Fluffy, you just can't take anything for granted.