Fossil Collective - Tell Where I Lie

  by Dave Goodwin

published: 7 / 5 / 2013

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Fossil Collective is a two-piece band from Leeds, whose music has gained much support from the likes of BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris. The band consists of multi instrumentalists David Fendick and Jonny Hooker, who incidentally were the main punching power in their former group Vib Gyor, whose name was derived from the first letters of all the colours in the rainbow in order from the shortest to longest wavelengths. ‘Tell Where I Lie’ is Fossil Collective’s debut album. I have to be honest no idea what sort of music you would label this as. One of the first things you, however, discover while listening to ‘Tell Where I Lie’ is that Fossil Collective like to do things differently from the long strain of other artists that have gone down the acoustic-indie genre road. Having done a short interview with one of the members, I discovered that they are all very particular and fastidious in the detail they put into the music. Their music is beautifully melodic, and that attention to detail is evident all the way through and in their warm harmonies. According to their Facebook page, Fossil Collective draw influence from the bands they grew up listening to such as Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, the Beach Boys and Simon and Garfunkel, and this is also evident through their musical output. They manage to merge all these together to make a sound that is contemporary, but still different somehow. The album starter is ‘Let it Go’, which was one of five tracks previously brought to life on their 2012 debut EP of the same name. It sets the pace for the album with some great melodic and catchy harmonies, which lead on to some expertly executed light percussion and some twinkling acoustic guitar. David Fendick's harmonies and soaring vocals compliment well that hard-to-define alternative sound that Fossil Collective create. One of the constants through this album and one that works just as well as the harmonies is a slight reverb on the vocals, which creates an otherwordly and almost darkly mysterious feel that coupled with the lyrics gives it the reason for being difficult to label. Other highlights on this debut album are the brilliant ‘Under My Arrest’ with its high slide and soothing sound; the change of tempo and direction of ‘On and On’ and the closer of ‘How Was I to Know’, a stripped down and short track of only two and half minutes, which encompasses the simple sound of Fendick’s vocals with a soft plucking of acoustic guitar to finish what is not a bad start for the Collective. This album isn’t a statement and doesn’t have anything particular to say. It is more of an introduction to a band that has risen from the ashes of another and which is learning to walk in a different direction. If I had one criticism, it would be that some of the tracks blend in to the last in places. This is, however, an album that is surely going to be the bedrock of good times for Fossil Collective.

Track Listing:-

1 Let It Go
2 Under My Arrest
3 Boy With Blackbird Kite
4 Wolves
5 Brother
6 Monument
7 On And On
8 When Frank Became An Orb
9 The Magpie
10 How Was I To Know

Band Links:-

http://www.fossilcollective.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fossilcollective
https://twitter.com/fosscollective
http://www.songkick.com/artists/4990349-fossil-collective
https://www.youtube.com/user/fossilcollective

Label Links:-

http://www.dirtyhit.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/DirtyHitRecords
https://www.facebook.com/DirtyHitRecords
http://www.last.fm/label/Dirty+Hit

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