Like the hot beverage that fills half of the name of Foxygen drummer Shaun Fleming’s side project Diane Coffee, Everybody’s A Good Dog is a caffeine-high record, easily addictive and will make listeners yearn for more of its sophisticated and motivational qualities. Like a shot of coffee, it will attract a large audience of pretentious so-called experts on the subject (in this case retro rock music) and will cater for a selection of the audience depending on its strong, distinctive ingredients. From the Mocha of the bunch (sweet and light – 1960s doo-wop balladry of ‘Not That Easy’), the Robusta of the menu (bitter, stronger, harsher aroma– T-Rex-esque ‘I Dig You’) to the Expresso of the selection (mature, energetic and exotic ‘Mayflower’). This incidentally sounds like a mariachi band performing Foreigner’s ‘Hot Blooded’.
A different kind of sensation – malaise – consumed Diane Coffee’s debut album My Friend Fish. Recorded by Shaun Fleming during his two weeks of physical and mental flu – dealing with homesickness and claustrophobia of his new New York apartment- not only could you hear the coughing and nasal tone of the ironically-named Fleming’s voice, he sounded consciously out of control. He squeaked high pitches, mumbled glossolalia and drooled over the microphone carelessly. It was artistically brave, reflective of the moment but also unwelcoming. Fleming’s follow-up album Everybody’s… is much healthier with a spacious production; Foxygen sound engineer Tim Smiley helped add the strings and horns- that disregards the incomprehensibility of its predecessor but improves on the psychedelic strokes of genius and the wild androgynous side to his character. It helps when you’ve moved to Bloomington, Indiana; the home of gender-analyzing Kinsey Institute.
‘Everyday’ is one of those gems that will appeal to older generations of Motown and fans of retro-revival group Alabama Shakes. “Stop playing games with my heart/ Stop and be what you want”. Lyrically and vocally it’s reminiscent of Brittany Howard’s consistent plea for strength and acceptance. Younger indie fans will also appreciate ‘GovT’, which possesses the groove of Tame Impala’s ‘Elephant’ and key drops of Pond’s ‘Sitting Up On…’
The multiple personalities of Fleming’s voice and the call-and-answer to himself could be seen as a symptom of ‘My Friend…’s illness but thankfully they continue on this album, as they paint Fleming in the glam rock frame of Freddie Mercury. He dramatically switches from the smoothness of Sly and the Family Stone (‘Down with the Current’), to the dramatics of Marc Bolan on ‘I Dig You’, whilst maintaining his favoured delicateness on ‘Spring Breathes’ (imagine Nick Albrook combined with John Lennon), a blissful progressive rock track that spontaneously teleports to Africa and the Middle East in its bridge.
Fleming confessed to a desire to work with the Dap Kings at Indie-vidualist blog but he introduces a pristine soul singer Felicia Douglass on ‘Duet’, a great archetype of Diane Coffee’s hybrid palindromes; Sonny & Cher turns into sexual blaxploitation funk before boomeranging back.
Prepare your taste buds wisely and there’s much to savour.
[Rating:4]
