Frausdots - Couture, Couture, Couture (CD)

All Music Guide

On their debut album Couture, Couture, Couture, Frausdots Brent Rademaker's postTyde and Beachwood Sparks project uses synthpop and the darkly jangly side of '80s postpunk as inspiration for their languidly stylish music. Needless to say, this sound is fairly different than either Beachwood Sparks or the Tyde, but Frausdots' songwriting is nearly as engaging as those bands' was and has a similarly Californian sheen to it, proving that location, location, location has a lot to do with Couture, Couture, Couture's vibe. On songs like "Dead Wrong" which borrows America's "Horse With No Name" and recasts it as blankly moody synthpop and "Fashion Death Trends," the band pushes the more overtly retro side of their sound with ultraclean productions, big choruses and keyboards aplenty. On "Broken Arrows" and "Contact," they try for, but don't quite achieve, Echo and the Bunnymenesque depth; while all the elements are in place, they just don't add up to drama. However, Frausdots sound more n...atural on the less obviously new wave and postpunk inspired songs: "The Extremists"' peppy organ stabs and strutting beat makes a better backdrop for Rademaker's warm, Lloyd Coleeqsue vocals, even if it drags on a bit longer than it should (a recurrent problem on Couture, Couture, Couture). "Tomorrow's Sky," "Current Bedding" and the lovely, mandolintinged "The Man Who Dreaded Sundown" also fare well because they work with Rademaker and company's inherently soft, breezy tendencies instead of against them. Though the album's title states that Frausdots keep up with fashion, their best moments tend to be the least trendy ones. Couture, Couture, Couture is an uneven album, but it does tend to wear better than some other albums by '80sinspired bands. - Heather Phares, All Music Guide Read more Less