Frazier Chorus – Sue

Every decade has its fair share of quirky acts but few were quite as unusual as Brighton’s Frazier Chorus. They employed an unusual set up of keyboards, clarinet, flute and percussion and were led by Tim Freeman; a rival for Neil Tennant as the most well-spoken singer of the time. Proving that he was a member of a talented family, Freeman is now probably best known as being the inspiration for the character of Tim in TV’s ‘The Office’, played by his own real-life brother Martin Freeman. Frazier Chorus’ 1989 debut ‘Sue’ showcases much of their better known material. ‘Dream Kitchen’ is the song they may be most remembered for but like Prefab Sprout’s ‘The King Of Rock And Roll’ it’s nowhere near their best song and could give the wrong impression that they were merely a novelty act.  Indeed, Freeman and co. were equipped with better songs. To draw on an earlier comparison, ‘Storm’ reminds me of the Pet Shop Boys on a budget. ‘Forty Winks’ is wistful and melodic, ‘Sloppy Heart’ and ‘Typical’ were typically witty singles (“I can almost smell my heart dropping down from my dripping vein” whispers Freeman on the former, in a typical case of flawed romance) and ‘Ski-Head’ is a wonderfully odd track. Granted, the 1980’s production has dated somewhat and Freeman almost narrates rather than sings but when Frazier Chorus were on their game they gave a good name to sensitive and literate synth-pop.

Frazier Chorus - Typical!

I was keen to find something as far removed from T’Sisters as possible but without posting something that hundreds of people would be keen to download. Frazier Chorus fit the bill. As usual there’s two singles preceding an album later this evening. Originally the band was 4AD favourites with their poppy debut single Sloppy Heart (here) peaking my interest in the band back in t’day. Their move to the more bullish Virgin Records was something of a revelation and their musical style didn’t resonate with me at the time. Saying that there is always an exception to the rule of no second chances, I gave Frazier Chorus a second chance while mindlessly thumbing through the minefield of blogs hosting great bands from the 80’s and 90’s 😉. The indie hipsters of the late 80’s as hipsters today had no idea of the dirty great tongue Frazier Chorus had stuck in their collective cheeks. As indie shoegazers with no dirty screaming guitar you’d be forgiven for thinking WTF? Vocals that are reminiscent of Jarvis Cocker in their half sung half spoken drawl. This is more Dreamscape and chill zone indie which is fine if that’s what you’re looking for.

Sloppy Heart

When a demo tape arrived at 4AD in 1986 from Brighton's Frazier Chorus, Ivo liked it enough to put the band in the studio with producer Gil Norton. “Sloppy Heart” was the result; a delightful piece of flute-driven, misty-eyed, whispery-voiced, opulently produced sophisti-pop. As you immerse yourself in the tune, you’ll realize that there exists a “curious” similarity between part of the verse vocals here and Pulp's “Common People”. The hushed melody, the cadence. It's fleeting at first, but then you recognize it and ... ton of bricks. The B side, “Typical” is almost as equally brilliant, but it was to be the band's only 4AD release.