Search - Frou Frou :: Details

Fou Frou is Madonna meets Olive

J. Gordon | South Bend, IN USA | 12/08/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Frou Frou was introduced to me, oddly, from Madonna who has GREAT taste in music, I figured I would check them out. Well, the first track I heard was "Breathe In" and it is a masterpeice. I was taken IMEDIATELY. No sooner, I knew i HAD to have this album. Upon listening, i was more and more impressed by each track until i came to a track called "Hear Me Out". The second I heard this, tears came to my eyes. It is truely one of the greatest songs I have ever heard. It is similar ard they were a group Madonna was listening to and since in instruments to Madonna's "What It Feels Like For A Girl" but I find this MUCH better and the lyrics are amazing. The singer actually sounds like the singer from a wonderful group called Olive but with music you'd find on a Madonna album. So, i completely recommend this album.
Album track rating
Breathe In (5/5) sounds almost carnivalish but perfect
Close Up (5/5) sounds like Madonna's "Candy Perfume Girl"
Flicks (4/5) very beauful vocal collage
Hear Me Out (5/5) best track and most beautiful
Its Good To Be In Love (4/5) beautiful but more raw/less electric
Let Go (5/5) beautiful intertwine of electronica and piano
Maddening Shroud (5/5) a beautiful remake of the old song
Must Be Dreaming (5/5) Beautiful with awsome beats
Only Got One (5/5) Plainly beautiful, very soft
Psychobabble (4/5) Beautiful vocals but very odd and dark music
Shh (4/5) catchy little ditty with beautiful electronic backings
The Dumbing Down Of Love (3/5) kinda boring, but still prettyAlso noted, the import (depending on which country its from)contains bonus tracks:
Old Piano (5/5) gorgeous music and vocals/worth the extra price
Breathe In (Encore Mix) (5/5) absolutley beautiful and very club worthyIf into remixes, get the "Breathe In" remixes:
Aphrodite Remix (3/5) kinda weird garage beats and vocals slow
All the Waiting Mix (5/5) a slow smooth and gogeous mix
Ben Watt Mix (4/5) great for clubs and upbeat
Encore Mix (5/5) best of all the mixes (see above)
Watkins (5/5) best for US radio play and very upbeat"

It's all in the "Details"

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 09/17/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Frou Frou" apparently means "rustle of silk," a seemingly appropriate name for one of the best trip-hop bands since Portishead. Their debut album "Details" is shimmery, textured music, mixing feathery ballads with funky pop, and all sung in Imogene Heap's sweet vocals.



Catchy trip-hop forms the core of this, especially the solid, fast-paced "Breathe In," which has a slightly fantastical sound. It doesn't get much more fun than the swirling catchy "Must Be Dreaming," bouncy little pop song "Shh," or the delicately pensive "Maddening Shroud." These songs mix pop rhythms with ambient sound, and end up getting the best of both.



There's a softer, less poppy side to Frou Frou as well. "Let Go" is a delicate little song accompanied by piano and little electronic swooshes. So is "The Dumbing Down of Love," a gentle blend of electronica and piano melody, and the minimalist electronica of "Psychobabble," which is mostly Heap's breathy voice against some dark electronic sounds. And a track not included on the American version finishes up this album: A delicate, trippy piano, "Old Piano," with its muffled horns and wispy vocals.



Imogene Heap returns in a big way with producer Guy Sigsworth. And this time around, Heap gets all the attention she deserves. A few of the songs aren't quite top-quality, but each one has its own sweet appeal. And most surprisingly, Frou Frou manages to do ballads and trip-hop equally well, giving a haunted air to the former and a bright one to the latter.



It's virtually impossible to blend pop, electronica and ambient music this seamlessly. But somehow Frou Frou does it. The best qualities of each musical style are all captured and blended together, usually in a blend of slow piano, shimmery synth and low-key guitar. If it doesn't make your ears tingle, then you must be deaf.



Heap's voice is a bit like pop newcomer Jem's -- it's sweet and wispy, yet surprisingly strong. And it has the smooth quality of someone who is completely in tune with the music. And she brings a lot of feeling to the wistful songs about emotional turmoil and losing love: "If love is surrender/Then whose war is it anyway?"



Funky, catchy trip-hop and delicate ballads are what Frou Frou is all about. Sweet, shimmery and catchy, this is a must-have for lovers of good pop."

Ethereal trance pop

J. Gordon | 07/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is one of my top ten favorites of all times - Frou Frou features the airy, pleasing voice of Imogen Heap and many soft, trance-influenced melodies with a pop edge. I honestly love every song on this CD, and play it very, very often - so often that I think I'll have to buy another copy soon!"