Fridae

Sunday morning. You're in bed (without a stranger next to you) sleeping in after a long night partying. You realize it's morning, but why should you be up? It's your day to relax�to be lazy. As you turn over to avoid the sun's rays on your face, your silk sheets rustle under you, making a sound that is both comforting and tranquil in your quiet bedroom. The French have a name for that sound�it's called "frou frou".

That's exactly how the British band, Frou Frou, sounds (and feels) on their debut, Details. Made up of vocalist/musician Imogen Heap and producer/songwriter Guy Sigsworth, their sound is a combination of the eccentric arrangements of Bj�rk's Homogenic and Dido's inspiring vocals in No Angel.

If you think their first single, Breathe In, sounds a little too similar to Madonna's What It Feels Like For A Girl, it's not just a coincidence. That's because Sigsworth produced the latter track (and also the last two Bj�rk albums). It's no wonder they're one of Madonna's favorite bands.

Best described as electronic-influenced pop music concerning love and ill-fated relationships (which we all can relate to), Frou Frou dispels the myth that all electronic music is cold and unfeeling. "That's rubbish. You can create heartbreaking songs on a laptop, and there's plenty of music written on an acoustic guitar with no feeling in it at all," explains Sigsworth.

The Dumbing Down Of Love, a track that most closely resembles Bj�rk in music and vocals, reveals one of the most important ideas in the album: "Music is worthless unless it can make a complete stranger break down and cry".

And it does seem that at times Details goes on the verge of doing just that with tracks like It's Good To Be In Love (the ambivalence of being happy for a past lover) and Hear Me Out (pleading for one last chance in a troubled relationship).

On the other hand, lyrics like "Zoom in enhance hold/ While I go helplessly sky high/ Magic eye sugar rushing don't stop" from Must Be Dreaming might just pounce on you with no warning. Don't ask what it means... you're still in bed on a Sunday morning, remember?

"We didn't want to go rock, we didn't want to go angry, we wanted to make this a feel good album and we wanted it to be real... I want to sing happy songs", says Imogen.

Describing the album as "happy" is an understatement. Frou Frou is the recognizable scent, the velvety feel, and the distinguishable sound of swishing silk combined to make a whole new aural experience.