Blueskywell

Filewile

Mouth Watering Records

2009-11-09

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Swiss duo Filewile were once a laptop act, but for this second album they have expanded into a full, four-piece, dub-driven band. It’s paid off, as the addition of singer Joy Frempong and bassist Mago Flueck to the original producer pairing of Dustbowl (Andreas Ryser) and Dejot (Daniel Jakob) gives them a more versatile approach and the result is a diverse, fun-packed album which draws together the band’s various influences including jazz, psychedelia and rock.

Filewile’s transition to a full band stemmed from an expansion of their live show,  putting the human voice at centre stage supported by the imperfections of analogue instrumentation, tape machine and the Space Echo. They start Blueskywell with a nod to their past, “Sombrero or Die” is a slow-burner more akin to laptop electronica than dub as a bubbling synth eases through the lyricless tune, then introduce Joy on “Number One Kid” which gives a first taste of their new dub sound.

A delightful ride.

Filewile have a playful nature about their lyrics, including childlike wordplay which includes a lark-filled “Kick the Spacedrum” while elsewhere they bind a magical concoction of guitars and samples with Joy’s ethereal vocal quality for the bleepy “Radiotower”. There are funky adventures on “Bug” while Brooklyn-born rhyme artist RQM add to the genre bending on “Iron Lady” and “Codeine”, where the vocals become centre-stage with a more stripped-down backing.

Blueskywell is an accomplished album, full of quirks and genuinely showing a vast range of influences which makes for a delightful ride. Their expansion into a full band was a smart one, and promises to be a very special combination when they go on tour.