The FODS - ‘Volumes of Silence’ | Single Review
October 15 | Written By Jessica Pispisa
The sound of the Sixties is widely recognised as being the music that broke ways with the formulaic songs of the 1950s, and had musicians articulating their personal and political beliefs in a way only jazz greats could convey. There was as much optimism and anticipation of what the future might bring (sadly, not much). Many, would definitely say, instead, that musicians nowadays –or since then- have been trying to recapture that feeling into their own music. The world is in a state, and worse, there is a lot of noise with it too. From wars erupting everywhere making one feel unsafe, to our phones reminding us that we’re not good enough, it’s enough to make one shut all the noise, and enjoy the silence.
‘Volumes of Silence’, the new single by the musical collective The Fods, has been self-described as a journey that “takes us all back to our guitar music roots, where music and, some might say, life was in a better place”. The gentle and considerate tune sounds like it has been in a vault for a while:
“We have taken the long-forgotten work done in the mid 90s, got it off the 4-track, got it to some of the best musicians, technicians and vocalists out there and come up with a generational working that will transport you, the listener to their musical nirvana”
The song is accompanied by an arrangement of jangly guitars and an organ that sound as if The Doors and The Smiths had a clandestine musical affair, and out of came this song. “I am here to help you hear, help you find out who are you” is sung in a kind manner, and it has a soothing appeal. The almost 30-year wait may have been worth it, as it arrives in the most turbulent times in modern history, that we are currently living in.
The Fods are a “transatlantic writing and recording partnership” that are “comprised of a rotating cast of collaborators, stretching back to long-standing writing partnerships from the ’90s right through to new cohorts found in the Wild West that is the internet”. There’s a positive mission that this group seem to be entrenched in, and the fruits of their labour is worth a spin. The hopefulness and solace emanating from ‘Volumes of Silence’ can be a tonic to a listener in a world full of noise.