Fonda 500 – Je M’Appelle Stereo

Je M’Appelle Stereo ‘ Fonda 500

BY CHRIS PEKEN

It’s hard to believe that something hailing from Hull in England can be so bright and cheery as Fonda 500. Twist your favorite rockin’ guitar riffs around Stereolab’s sense of instrumentation with The Beach Boys melodies and add some Northern English swagger for good measure. Electronique Bee 101 is the pop gem of the year so far, and Jenny #1 is catchy despite its central sound and topic, the cheesy Casio keyboard. In fact just about every time Je M’Appelle Stereo sounds in danger of over-use of kitsch technology a huge fuzzy guitar or beautifully sweet vocal melody arrives to rescue Fonda 500 – their balance and ability to mix and match being one of the albums strengths. For lovers of off-kilter pop, and ideal for those with short-attention spans.

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