Fuyuko’s Fables are a five piece from Wellington who make wintertime freak-folk for huddling around forest fireplaces while drinking lysergically tainted hot beverages and remembering how cool Animal Collective were back in the day. Introspective acoustic music at it’s finest, their harmonics tell of worlds within worlds of fractal-like arrangement. While made up of the worn out formula of harmonies, tom-drums, acoustic guitars and the odd horn section, Fuyoko’s secret lies in their experimental noise and tonality contrasted against a wholly pop-based musical syntax.
Fuyuko is a Japanese girls name meaning ‘Winter Child’ and the snowiness of their influences come across best on their 2012 record Everybody Is Weird – the title being less of an anthropophobic statement and more of a reassuring pat on the back to all the weirdos out there listening to Fuyuko’s haunted beats. The major highlight for me on the release is DEKA, which sounds like Grizzly Bear circa Yellow House with it’s ghostly – woo oohs, killer woodwind solo and chunky guitar tone. From the ¾ time sig on iii to the heartbeat kicks on Slappy and Graham, this is an album for people with brains behind their beards and a cold empty heart behind their flannel shirt that needs warming from clever alt-coustic tunes.
The band recently made their way over to our shores to play with Melbourne outfit Seagull last year and have expressed interest in coming back, and you should also express interest in having them back. You have a couch right? Let em crash at yours! I’m sure they’ll give you a quick clarinet lesson in return.
Not convinced? Check out this video they did with NZ music magazine VanguardRed in December last year. Spoiler – they nail it.
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