Oracle Online

Frausdots, one of the latest acts on Seattle’s Sub Pop Records, makes no effort to hide their influences from the past.

Fans of Sub Pop Records are likely familiar with the now-defunct Beachwood Sparks. When former members of said band formed All Night Radio, fans were surprised by a sound straight from the ’70s that in no way resembled the members’ former sounds.

Now another former member, Brent Rademaker, has ventured even further from his former sound into a territory unthinkable for Beachwood Sparks: ’80s synth-pop.

A little story about the band’s formation may show just how great the ’80s influence is.

Frausdots’ beginnings can be traced back to a certain music festival in Spain, highlighted by a performance from one of the ’80s most influential acts: the Cure.

Rademaker and his girlfriend, Michelle Loiselle, were so enveloped by the Cure’s show that they decided right then and there that they were in love. They also decided they needed to start a band devoted to recreating the emotions they felt at that moment.

Their debut album, Couture, Couture, Couture, even features a guest appearance by former Cure member Roger O’Donnell.

The resulting sound is something of a mix of the Cure and New Order and all the other bands that Rademaker listened to back in the day.

The sound aims to be dark and gloomy while at the same time bright and catchy, highlighting both the feelings that Rademaker and Loiselle share.

You can feel similarities in the structures of many songs on the record, with the synthesized sounds defining the rhythm, complemented by simple guitar melodies.

Though the influences from the past are strongly felt, Frausdots manages a sound all their own.

Couture, Couture, Couture begins with Rademaker’s monotone vocals on “Dead Wrong,” laid over the top of a steady synth beat and catchy guitars. It then explodes into the song’s chorus, which features perhaps some of the catchiest guitar hooks I have heard in quite some time.

While the music of the track makes it stand out, the vocals show signs of a weakness that plagues much of the album.

Rademaker’s voice is not strong enough to carry a track, and the lyrics don’t help much, either.

The opening track also introduces Loiselle’s backup vocals, which consist of high-pitched background noises that at times add to the music while at other times turn the listener off.

The result is hit-or-miss, and many of the track don’t stand out as above average in any way.

There are some great moments, like the finale “Tomorrow’s Sky,” the poppiest track on the record, focused on the role of the synthesizer in producing melody.

“Soft Light” is another standout, managing to build a complex and intriguing sound with simple guitar and bass parts blended perfectly together.

It also shows off the best harmonizing between Rademaker and Loiselle on the dark chorus, with her soft chants of “I don’t want to live forever” cascading over Rademaker’s doubts.

This is the sort of single that could push a band to the next level, and it alone may make the record worthwhile.

In the end, Couture, Couture, Couture is not a bad album, but it does not reach the lofty goals the sound seems to aim for.

Frausdots succeeds in putting together a decent tribute to all things ’80s while managing to forge a new sound all its own.

The taste I got here makes me curious where the band will take its sound from here, should they go anywhere, and leaves me satisfied that not all bands butcher the ideas of their influences.