Fancy Ultra•Fresh

Album Review

If Gerry House is country's answer to Spinal Tap and Aqua is the Spinal Tap of Europop, Freezepop may very well be the Spinal Tap of '80s-style synth pop and new wave. Of course, being described as a synth pop/new wave equivalent of Spinal Tap isn't necessarily what Freezepop is aiming for on Fancy Ultra Fresh; in various interviews, the Bostonians have downplayed the strong '80s influences in their wildly infectious music. But on Fancy Ultra Fresh, Freezepop has so much fun with synth pop and new wave stereotypes that you can't help but see this 2004 release as an affectionate celebration of the wackier side of Ronald Reagan/Margaret Thatcher-era pop culture. Comparisons to '80s favorites like the Human League, Soft Cell, Berlin, Duran Duran, and Thomas Dolby are unavoidable, and it would be a mistake to think that Freezepop's three members are merely good at what they do: they're great at it. In contrast to all the ultra-introspective, angst-ridden lyrics that have come from alternative pop/rock in the '90s and 2000s, lovably goofy items like "Duct Tape My Heart," "Parlez-Vous Freezepop?," "Boys on Film" (as opposed to Duran Duran's "Girls on Film"), and "Chess King" are an exercise in pure, unmitigated fun. Lead singer Liz Enthusiasm isn't try to save the world on this CD; instead, she sings about all-night parties, club-hopping, fashion trends, and male bimbos in tight pants — and she does it with a deadpan vocal style that is girlish, amusing, silly, sexy (in a detached way), and ironic all at once. Enthusiasm and her colleagues showed a great deal of promise on their first full-length album, Freezepop Forever, and their 2002 EP Fashion Impression Function, but on this superb disc, the New Englanders have truly achieved synth pop/new wave perfection.