Surprise Chef – 'Frogs in a Pond' review: Soul-funk for a thriller that doesn't exist
The Melbourne instrumental quartet's fifth album draws on Italian giallo films. AllMusic lists it among the week's Editors' Choices.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
Single video: YouTube · Surprise Chef · youtube.com
Single: Leg Day
Australian instrumental quartet Surprise Chef released their fifth album 'Frogs in a Pond' on 23 October – their first on Concord Jazz. According to the label, it was recorded in a continuous nine-day session at the band's own College of Knowledge studio in Melbourne, almost entirely live with few overdubs; Henry Jenkins produced, and Leon Michels plays flute on several tracks. The touchstones are Italian giallo films and European soundtracks of the 1960s and 70s.
Sofia Hamandi of The Upcoming describes the 13 tracks as a suite for an imagined city noir: every instrument and note serves a clear purpose, and despite the absence of pictures the album has a clear narrative arc. She calls 'Leg Day' the archetypal cop-show soundtrack. Aquarium Drunkard praises its blend of the sinister and the seductive, evoking a bygone era without becoming trapped in it. AllMusic lists the record as an Editors' Choice of the week.
The video is the official audio clip for 'Leg Day' from the band's channel. Surprise Chef tour North America from 30 October; there are no German dates so far.