Album Review: The Blue Eyed Shark Experiment – The Fluffer
3 min read
Following the recent release of his debut single Tapdance, The Blue Eyed Shark Experiment releases the outstanding parent album and tasty soundtrack to the soon to be fading summer sunshine, The Fluffer.
The years have been turbulent for the worldly musician. From losing his father at the the age of eight through to being diagnosed with cancer (though thankfully this was removed), The Blue Eyed Shark Experiment, who gained his stage name through a friends comments about his eyes, has been through it all and now offers to the world a treat in the form of his debut record, The Fluffer, which expresses a lifetime of heartache, joy, emotion and hope.
The Fluffer is true testament to the musicians strong will and optimism in the eyes of loss and tragedy and musically, a superb start to a career full of potential.
Opening number and title track The Fluffer is an almost circus extravaganza with its piano fingerings layered with a variety of instrumentation with the eloquent and subtle vocals only making a brief appearance throughout the track.
Gliding straight into the charming Goodbye My Little Friend, the record hits an early highpoint with a nostalgic song about letting go of the past and that special someone. With a lifespan of three minutes the track comes to an abrupt end before What To Do takes the wheel and is instantly reminiscent of an early Cat Stevens. A light and bouncy addition to the record it’s complimented with key tinkering and pop fueled hooks.
The album meshes a whole range of sounds which showcase the musicians capabilities in creating something that is slightly different yet oddly predictable as you carry yourself through each of the songs. The eclecticism heard on The Fluffer is what is so compelling and what makes it a genuinely interesting listen.
Making your way through the record and just when you envisage the singer playing piano with a dozen Muppet characters, he turns the table on the prospect entirely with the Generations line ‘It’s the sound of a generation so fucked up’ which makes you think it’s a slightly more adult debut. Robotic and slightly spacey synths take over the record in a track filled with angst and anguish.
The records lead single Tapdance is a strong single with birds chirping, some fantastic guitar riffs and robust vocals. It’s Divine Comedy meets Randy Newman with a bit more spunk. The strongest track on The Fluffer and a pure feast for the ears, it’s easy to see why this one was selected to front the album in its quest to break the successful debut mold.
Look Back is a sentimental ballad with a swooping melody while Rain beats away the blues with a staccato addition strangely similar to the fellow crooner styles of Rufus Wainwright and Ed Harcourt.
The Fluffer is a mix of sounds, emotions, highs and lows sprinkled with a vulnerability from a rising star in mellow piano pop who has truly earned his place as one to watch. Though the record has its odd dips, these are few and far between and overall The Fluffer is a quality debut well worth the attention.
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