Riaan Wolmarans
CD of the week
It seems the moguls at Virgin Records knew what they were doing when they signed up Michelle Breeze and her cohorts in Fetish. Certainly their EP Shade of a Ghost hinted at bigger things to come, and on October 18, they release their first full-length album under the Virgin label, called So Many Prophets.
Guitarist Dominic Forrest says that the group tried to combine their live sound with the use of electronic sounds to “achieve a harder and more immediate sound”. Their efforts have paid off – So Many Prophets is quite a majestic piece of work. All 11 tracks flow beautifully together – Breeze’s vocals combine perfectly with the rest of the band’s instrumental talents to create almost an hour’s worth of stirring sounds. It’s obvious what quality production can add to an album’s worth. Not a single note or drum beat seems to be out of place – almost too perfect. The general style is laid-back, dipping into almost trip-hop style at times, reminiscent of groups such as Morcheeba.
Already on the first track, If, one notices a kind of hard-edged sound supporting Breeze’s dark, sexy voice.It’s not a rock song, though – it’s the sublime gritty elements which give it an edge, as also heard on Awkward. On Ground Below, there’s a deep drum sound, filled in with guitar, creating a simple but beautiful sound. Other tracks are much more complicated, but Fetish manage quite comfortably.
The album casts aside any doubt that Fetish rank as one of our top musical outfits – and it certainly deserves international attention, which, one hopes, is part of Virgin’s plans for the band.