Fawns
of Love
Permanent
(Test Pattern)
Sacramento based label Test Pattern Records is on fire! I swear I’ve amassed just about every record
they’ve released over the last several years, but this new one, may already be
the record of 2019 and we’re just getting started. I had not previously heard of Fawns of Love until their beautiful,
wistful, and lush single “Zine Days” early last year, but it made me an instant
fan. However, much like label mates, Soft Science and their incredible album
Maps from last summer, this new
release takes all of the band’s best elements and presents them in a wide open
clear and concise space. All of the
songs sound huge and vibrant.
Fawns of Love are Jenny and Joseph Andreotti, and Permanent
sounds like they snuck into New
Order’s recording studio in 1986, right after they recorded “Bizarre Love
Triangle,” borrowed their equipment, and laid down a bunch of brilliant
songs. Please don’t misunderstand
this. It is meant as the highest
praise. I cut my musical teeth on that
12” single as a young teenager and vividly remember the day (before weeks
passed like days) I purchased it and rushed home to listen to it over and
over. I love the heavy prominent dance
beats and that mid-range bass as melodic lead and never tire of it. The major difference here is that Jenny’s
vocals mix with washes of dreamy atmospherics giving this entire album a
sincere reflective feel that takes things to another level.
The album opens with the single they
shared late last year, “Someday,” which floats atop a wash of keyboards, a
sharp dance beat, and some great percussion.
This is maybe what it would sound like if Julee Cruise release a dance single (I don’t know, maybe she
has). Similarly, “December” continues
this thread. That insistent beat
combined with strong atmospherics.
Perhaps the best of the pre-LP singles is “Mournful Eyes,” which builds
an incredible amount of jittery anticipation leading up to the warm sing-along
multi-tracked vocal of the chorus.
My early favorite songs (I can’t decide
on one) include the majestic sounding “Horoscope,” which reminds me of all-time
favorite New Order song “Your Silent Face,” if it had been graced by a vocal
from Elizabeth Frazier, along with
the sheer catchiness of the title track, “Permanent” (I cannot stop humming the
ooohs from the chorus), and I cannot
leave out the stunning “Divine,” which is so pleasantly dream-like that it is a
shame when it ends. Every song is
fantastic and though there isn’t a huge variety here, the album works very well
as a whole and its 30 minutes or so keeps any fatigue from setting in.
In my tiny circle, Fawns of Love are
getting a lot of well-deserved attention.
I hope that it continues to grow.
This is magical music that needs to be heard. The vinyl is limited, so please pick up a
copy while you can!
Fawns of Love "Mournful Eyes"
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