LALU – The Fish Who Wanted To Be King
LALU – The Fish Who Wanted To Be King
Frontiers s.r.l
Release Date: 20/10/23
Running Time: 47:25
Review by Oli Gonzalez
8/10
LALU, the brainchild of French composer Vivien Lalu is up next and are on the eve of releasing their fourth album, “The Fish Who Wanted To Be King”. What a cool title for an album! Right now, I’m the man who wants some prog rock, so time for a deep dive into the progressive rocking stylings of LALU.
In my childhood, I was brought up on the likes of Marilion, Meatloaf, and Genesis. Artists that you may consider to be ‘dad rock’. Whether it’s the experimental use of synths and keys, non-conventional song structures, or soaring guitar leads, there was so much to admire by listening to these artists. It’s clear how these bands, among other progressive rock acts from that era have influenced LALU’s sound, and getting to listen to this record allowed me to relive some of those childhood memories, so thank you for that.
I did wonder if vocalist Damian is the long-lost twin of the late great Michael Lee Aday, better known as Meatloaf, such are the similarities with their vocal styles. I was really enjoying Damian’s soaring operatic style vocals throughout the record, and thought he demonstrates some impressive range of styles too. The subtle use of backing vocals only serves to enhance and embellish his talent too, creating extra dimension and depth.
As all the songs seem to effortlessly flow and transition into one another, it’s difficult to pick out one that truly stands out to me. Though if you’re only going to listen to one, the album’s title track is definitely worth it. This isn’t a song, it’s a creative journey through the vast array of tricks and tools in the creative arsenal for LALU. We have some jazz-salsa infused bass lines that may have you dad-dancing if you’re not careful (I may or may not have done), some highly aesthetic lead guitar work, and blazing lead vocals I alluded to earlier. There’s more melodic hooks than a fisherman’s tackle box too, in particular with the clever use of keys and synths. So much to admire!
While the 80s influence is strong, I particularly admire the modern twist and LALU’s modern stance. This is mainly through the production, where everything just sounds so much sharper and sounding much more full than band’s from the older generations could have ever done. Excellent work
Whether the fish did indeed succeed in becoming king is irrelevant. What we can conclude is that LALU have created a record that is an absolute delight to listen to, and one that should be sampled by anybody who has exhausted the well of prog-rock bands from older generations and are seeking something more modern to scratch that itch.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Forever Digital
02. The Fish Who Wanted To Be King
03. Deoxyribonucleic Acid
04. Is That A London Number
05. Amnesia 1916
06. A Reversal Of Fortune
07. The Wondering Kind
LINE-UP:
Damian Wilson – Vocals
Joop Wolters – Guitars, Bass
Vivien Lalu – Keyboards
Jelly Cardarelli – Drums
Matt Daniel – Keyboards, Hammond Organ, PianoLINKS:
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Oli Gonzalez and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
