Staff Reviews

Idiot Glee - Paddywhack

Review by Alex Yau

Glistens with a passion that will surely bring glee to anyone.»

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somewhere between jens lekman's thoughtful crooning and the classic auteur-pop of brian wilson or even 'another green world's brian eno. after the idyllic charm of last year's debut single 'all packed up / don't drink the water' idiot glee returns with his first album 'paddywhack' released on moshi moshi. 22-year-old james friley trades in spectral transmissions: multi-layered vocal concoctions that sound like they are emitted from a radio in the past, or coming over an unknown satellite frequency from the future, telling stories about a more idyllic time. mining an emotional territory between nostalgia and powerful sense of childlike wonder, his rustic arrangements belie a sophisticated sense of melody surrounded by palpable magic and mystery. hypnotic looped vocal samples come into full bloom around beautifully cathartic, slow-burning choral interpretations, all the while retaining a graceful fragility. having trained as a classical pianist from age 7, a teenage friley found the designated hours of practice quickly gave way to writing and improvising his own solo piano compositions. having more of a pop sensibility the songs didn't fit the repertoire of budding rock band 'bedtime' and hence idiot glee began to take shape. the discovery on cassette of pet sounds in a flea market in 2008 proved a pivotal point. "i listened to it probably 100 times over the span of a year" he says and it became the catalyst in making idiot glee a full time hobby.
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