Seth Faergolzia - High Diver

Having emerged from the New York antifolk scene, Seth Faergolzia is a contemporary of the Moldy Peaches and Jeffrey Lewis, but his work with his band Dufus aspires to the eclecticism and adventure of Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa. Like those artists, he prefers a rolling cast of collaborators, and curently performs solo, as a duo (Forest Creature), with a five piece band (Multiband) and with an eighteen strong ensemble (23 Psaegz) Having released twenty albums at the rate of more than one a year, he may not be a household name, but he has amassed a devoted fanbase who were more than happy to subscribe to support a project where he composed a hundred songs, one a day, and then sent a recording of a new song every week. 'High Diver' compiles nine of these songs into an album, released to coincide with a UK tour during October. As a compilation, it naturally doesn't have the intended flow of an album, but 'High Diver' is an excellent showcase of Faergolzia's range and veering across genres and through solo-acoustic folk to elaborately overdubbed prog-psych. He often tiptoes along the line between whimsical and novelty, but generally it is when his songs appear to be jokes that he will break into an impassioned chorus or jab you with a darker lyrical theme. 'Waiting For The Bleep', for example, appears to be a fairly silly ditty, but hints at the end at being a call for a better and more inspiring vision from political leaders. It isn't all perfect. The seven minute faux hip hop shuffle 'Rubbing It In' rather outstays its welcome, and occasionally, you wish he would dial down the looped effects. But, it is a consistently endearing set of songs, and there are more than enough exciting moments to make you want to hear the other 91 songs from the series. The soaring closer 'Young and Beautiful' sums up everything great about this record, with a slightly sorrowful tale of childhood nostalgia breaking into an anthemic sing-a-long in the chorus. It will leave you wanting to hear more.