A BATTLE A DAY ...

when the opening song is called "Mopery and Dopery in Deep Space" then you could be forgiven for thinking that Fruitcake really had become as nutty as one. But, in their defence, this is actually a very accomplished classic Genesis-style album. Pål Søvik's vocals are very clear with no accent and while they appear to be happy to spend much of their time locked in the early Seventies is that really a problem?

One of the joys of Fruitcake is the way that they can go from gentle acoustic-based song to blast then back again all within the space of a few bars, as can be heard on "One Night" when bass pedals dynamically change the whole feel of the music. This is music that is all about space, about letting the instruments having enough room to find their natural balance. While it is not often that they really let rip no-one can accuse Fruitcake of not having passion. This is a pleasant prog album that takes little effort to listen to.

Originally appeared in Feedback #64, Dec 01