Search - George Fryer :: Decaf

Shiny Happy Person?

Wade Fransson | Madison, WI USA | 12/24/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"George Fryer has been called "impossibly upbeat" which, I suppose, he is. But only in that "in-spite-of" sense of impossibly. Read the warning label inside the package of Decaf. The shiny melodies hide coffee that at times is very black indeed. In "One More Day (till the end of the world)" George sells his soul but wants it back. So George loads on the international non-dairy creamer, but which flavor is it anyway, Beatles, Badfinger, or early Rafferty? There's domestic as well, but is it Dylan, Freedy Johnstone or REM for Dummies? (With George you can actually tell what he's singing about.) What makes Decaf great is, where others imitate, it celebrates. And where artistes du-jour create ripped-off, er, sampled hits, Decaf splashes references that suggest and remind. Each of the 12 tracks lands a breeze-carried-can't-quite-place-scent on the tip of your tongue. The "Lonesome Gal" seems to turn the Girl from the North Country into Norwegian Wood. The way the bonus track revisits Highway 61 is less subtle but far from overpowering. And some are downright amazing, like the above mentioned "One More Day" - a suicide note that looks in David Byrne's Mind to find La Bamba. Hats off to a man who lived through the nineties to take a positive stance in a post-grunge world. He's the reason Tori wants to kill the waitress. If you're a connoisseur, don't say definitely maybe. This Decaf has been distilled down and served up fresh. Drink it anytime, it's a strong brew that won't keep you up nights."

PROFOUND FUN

VANESSA P. CAO | california | 11/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"DECAF HAS A LEMNON TWIST REMINISCENT OF BEATLES NOSTALGIA AND EXISTENTIAL HUMORFEELS LIKE ROLLING IN THE GRASS IN SUMMER SQUIRT ORANGE WITH BITTER BLACKWITH TIME'S REGRET DECAF REVEALS THE MAKING OF YOUR SILENCED SONGSREUNIONS IN CONVERSATIONSPANSIES BARE THEIR SPROUTS FOR ONE DECAF THIRSTDECAF IS A WHIFF OF LIFE'S BREATH: BRILLIANT, UNIQUE, & NECESSARYJUST SIMPLY A MOMENT OF PROFOUND FUN"