A Fine Frenzy - One Cell In The Sea [2007]

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A Fine Frenzy is actually just a fine young singer-songwriter from Seattle, born Alison Sudol. A self-taught piano player, on her debut album she pairs sweeping orchestral arrangements with dreamlike lyrics inspired by the classic works of fantasy writers like CS Lewis, EB White, and Lewis Carroll. Add to that a propensity for frilly shirts and cryptic song titles such as "The Minnow & the Trout" and you half-expect to find a back alley Joanna Newsom. Instead Sudol specializes in accessible pop epics, the kind of songs that fit perfectly over the end credits of a great Hollywood tearjerker. Despite the gentle melancholia that runs through "Ashes and Wine" and "You Picked Me," each tune arrives wrapped in an exuberant melody and topped by the singer's commanding voice. On the disc's standout moment, "Almost Lover," she shows she can do simplicity as well, musing over a sublime piano medley.



- amazon.com



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It’s time to sit up and take notice, because this album is like noting you will have ever heard before. With an irresistible collection of rich, emotive ballads, replete with a sound of delicate, personal beauty, One Cell in the Sea is one of the most accomplished debut albums in recent years.





Showcasing the incomparable talents of vocalist Alison Sudol, the album is packed with tender, soulful vocal narratives. Perfection is something of a taboo word when it comes to music, and certainly not one I pander about lightly, but the conclusion is difficult to avoid here.



If not perfection, this is as close as you are likely to get. From the opening bars of "Come on, Come out", it is obvious that One Cell in the Sea is an album of outstanding quality. What makes it truly great, though, is the consistently high standard of the album, and the hauntingly beautiful vocals. If there is one album you must invest in this year, this is it. A fine frenzy is, indeed, a wonderful state to be in...



The band, in all its glory, consists of Alison, Stephen, Daxx, Mark and Hal. Despite the obvious talents of the other band members, the true appeal of the music lies in Alison’s astonishing vocal display. At only 22 years of age – having already been labeled a ‘VIP-to-be’ (InStyle Magazine) and ‘the prettiest girl in indie rock’ (Gen Art Pulse) – Alison displays a vocal maturity and strength well beyond her years.



After moving to LA at the age of five, Alison immersed herself in classic literature, establishing herself as a passionate and accomplished author in her own right. The influence of her literary background is readily apparent, with lyrics and music used to convey a powerful, personal narrative to the listener.



Alison's creative passion for self-expression is, likewise, clearly imprinted on the music; a desire for atmospheric, powerful melodies is expounded on the band’s official website, and this is certainly achieved in One Cell in the Sea. A fusion of piano arrangements and more contemporary melodies, coupled with a more general simplicity of sound (as influenced by Philip Glass), help complete the Fine Frenzy sound.



While she may be the prettiest girl to grace the indie rock scene, but what really matters is her exceptional musical ability. Vocal talent may be relatively commonplace in today’s music industry, and truly great voices are far less prevalent. With perfect pitch, and astonishing vocal control and power across the register, Alison has a voice that could easily make the dictionary sound like a musical masterpiece. The outstanding arrangement and well-crafted lyrics, thankfully, ensure the music does not put this theory to the test.



The voiced emotion is intoxicating, lending a serene, ethereal quality to the band’s sound. While the beauty of it is obvious from the outset, the depth and power of the vocals is truly astonishing; the music showcases the diversity of Alison’s singing, as she seamlessly adapts to deliver eerie, almost unnervingly evocative melodies.



Picking a standout track from One Cell in the Sea is nigh on impossible, given the consistently high standard of the music. Instead, and perhaps more appropriately in this case, ‘favorite’ tracks have been selected. "Ashes and Wine" is a beautifully arranged piece, highlighting the light and shade of Alison’s voice as she shifts from the subtle, soft verses to soaring, powerful concluding choruses.



"Come on, Come out" is a track of particular splendor. The piano and string backing provide perfect accompaniments for the sweet, lulling vocal delivery. While the music is immediately arresting, the rich layers of sound mean – like a great book – every new visit will reveal new, unexpected delights.



"The Minnow & The Trout" and "Rangers" are similarly exceptional pieces of music, and worthy of special mention.



It is not often that debut albums blow you away; no matter how polished the albums are, they usually betray a lack of musical experience and maturity in one way or another. One Cell in the Sea, however, is a true knock-out, and I can offer it no higher praise than that.



Whether your bent is towards rock, punk, or even pop, A Fine Frenzy has created a sound to intrigue and captivate all comers. Such a compete and fulfilling musical creation deserves all the praise it will inevitably receive, as do the immense talents of Alison Sudol.



One Cell in the Sea is music to treasure; music to surrender to; music to live by. If you are a lover of music, then feed your appetite and enjoy the many delights offered by A Fine Frenzy’s debut triumph!



- aced magazine.com



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A fine Frenzy is the effective, if slightly misleading, moniker for 22-year-old musician Alison Sudol. Consider her the singer/songwriter equivalent of another rapidly rising star in the literary world, Marisha Pessl, whose Special Topics In Calamity Physics also hit the hot/talented/head-turning trifecta in 2006. Both writers are bursting with talent squarely couched in a mind-boggling array of literary reference points. Sudol’s melodies drip from the speakers with the same come-hither qualities as Pessl’s verbs and nouns. It’s not a frenzy so much as a warm bath of adjectival butter. One Cell in The Sea, Sudol’s debut, is pretty and mysterious enough to draw plenty of admirers. You’ve heard all of the elements before: the stark, desolate stops on the road between Tori Amos and Coldplay. What sets it apart from the bumbling work of most of her peers are the completely ingenuous correlations between love and nature in her lyrics.



- paste magazine.com









Artist: A Fine Frenzy

Album: One Cell in the Sea

Date Of Release: 2007

Genre: AlternaPop, IndiePop, Singer Songwriter

Bitrate: VBR --alt-preset extreme