Album of the month : May 2001
Fugu (F) : " Fugu 1 "
( Ici d'Ailleurs )
Long after we first discovered his music through various exotic singles and compilations, long even after this album was recorded, it was high time for French pop prodigy Mehdi Zannad ( a.k.a.. FUGU) to finally release his full-length debut in his native country.
Even before you open the crystal-box, the booklet cover picture gives a fair indication of what the music inside is like : Sunny, breezy, colourful and a bit nostalgic. Mehdi Zannad is both a fan and a dreamer. As a fan, he obviously grew up and thrilled to the sounds and songs of Ray Davies, Paul Mc Cartney, Brian Wilson, or their rightful heir Sean O' Hagan ( The High Llamas). As a dreamer, he has the nerve to quote them all, blend them all, and strain the subsequent liquor through his own sensitivity, in order to transmit what he has received. Maybe this dream is too big for his frail shoulders, but it's hard not to be moved by the boy's endearing mix of boldness and innocence.
On songs like the jaunty The Best Of Us, the potential single Sol y Sombra ( A tribute to the Madrid-based label who first put trust in him ? ), Variations Fitzwilliam with its Penny Lane trumpets and shimmering strings, Monocorde, one of the album's finest tunes contrary to what its title suggests, Tsimbalon ( already a highlight on the " Ici d'Ailleurs" sampler last year, still one here), or the French sung Au Départ, Mehdi Zannad shows a real talent at building up fiddly pop miniatures, enriched with wondrous vocal harmonies and baroque arrangements.
But ultimately , it's as a whole that " FUGU 1" works best. Separately, most of the songs suffer from not being developed enough, squeezed as they are in their two minutes tight suit. One thing FUGU has yet to learn from his heroes is how to assemble and plug little bits of songs to make a longer, more complex one : The magic recipe that gave us pieces of craftsmanship such as Shangri-La, Happiness is a warm gun or Good vibrations.
Next time will be the one, but this debut album is already promising enough to deserve a warm recommendation.
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