Album review: Fanfarlo

Reservoir

Pitched between Arcade Fire’s funereal art-rock and Beirut’s pastoral folk, but lacking the pomposity of the former and the pretentiousness of the latter, London-based collective Fanfarlo’s debut is

a carefully orchestrated treat. The instrumentation is kitchen-sink; accordion, clarinet, glockenspiel mandolin, melodica, saw, sax, trumpet and violin, plus guitars, bass and drums. Simon Balthazar’s well-crafted songs, though, and the band’s knack of arranging them sensitively, ensures the mix never sounds cluttered or overblown. There are big pop moments here, too: string-swept album highlight ‘The Walls Are Coming Down’, new single ‘Drowning Men’ and ‘Fire Escape. If you’re waiting patiently for that new Grizzly Bear LP, take a dip.

Rob Webb

More on this artist:
Fanfarlo NME Artist Page
Fanfarlo MySpace

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