Summer Is Coming
With the weather in Adelaide still dragging everyone down with it, it is surprisingly refreshing to listen to an album that is reminiscent of Summer, of love, fantastic dreams and headaches. Produced and recorded by Stock Exchange front man Richard Sallis, Fantasyland is certainly a different take on his usual compilations. Whilst the sound of Stock Exchange is indie/rock, Sallis has definitely experimented with this solo album.
Differing away from the usual sounds that Stock Exchange go for, “Back To School” has Summer ringing through the lyrics – it is catchy, it is beautiful and it’s vibrant. Salis’ voice holds within every song, especially in the beautifully haunting “Drunken Serenade”. What is especially brilliant about “Drunken Serenade” is that brings about a lot of visuals, like most songs should. Other sensory elements are needed to truly appreciate a song for what it’s worth, and “Drunken Serenade” and “Back To School” both incorporate that.
Another fascinating track that dones the Fantasyland album is a track called “Hypodermics”, which combines car crashes with music, and above all, love. I personally think Fantasyland is a big step up for Sallis and it has definitely taken him out of his usual comfort zone. His voice is very suited to this style of music. Slow, soothing and pleasant to listen to on a Sunday afternoon in the sun. Yes, it is different from mainstream music, but isn’t that the beauty of it? So often we are seeing songs that sound the same, that follow the same rhythm, tone, lyric pattern and themes.
With Fantasyland expect something different, something edgy, unique and above all expect something that someone has put a lot of work into.
Rating; Love is fascinating like a car crash.
Stars: 3.5/5
The album will be available for download on September 1st at: richardsallis.bandcamp.com