i still feel the pain even after the prayer

Here we have an entirely free album offered to the masses by Fear of Tigers. Check it out here. So far, the only thing I've managed to glean is that Fear of Tigers is a one man electronic band from London, who is producer and former dolphin trainer Benjamin Berry.

You see that picture right up there, it's perfectly apt for this entire album. As you hit play, the image opens up and like a black hole, sucks you right into his fantasy world of happiness with 80s feel-good disco resonating from the trees. And if you see the trees bopping to the beat, funny looking beings that seem like oompa loompas going wild in this discobeat paradise, don't be surprised - it's natural. It's pure aural sugar rush, jazzing up your synapses as you need to start moving. Moving those feet right to that pulsating beat. Not moving is criminal, the biggest crime one can commit in this land of euphoria.

The title track is right where it belongs, in this lush soundscape made possible with samples. Disco muzak with catchy synths that rise and fall, clearly mimicked by your heart rate, it's still not the best there is in this solid album. Please Don't Leave has a solid driving beat with vocals by him(?, not sure) whilst I Can Make The Pain Disappear is the sonic equivalent of morphine, echo-ey vocals backed by a four-on-the-floor beat. Mr Berry here even manages to sneak in a little sweet surprise, as The Rich Cry Too with all that Daft Punk-ish keyboards might seem like just another song in happyland, but voila, a jazzy segment out of nowhere (prolly a sample) sets this well apart from the rest. Female vocals grace What Did I Do?, and if I had to answer that, I would be hard pressed not to tell Mr Berry that he made such a fantastic album. An oddity is Calling Your Name, it's very trance (but how does the rain and thunderstorm fit in? - I wonder) aka Groove Coverage yet manages to retain that nu-disco beat.

A fantastic album with 10 tracks each individual unto it's own, but listened together, you feel the all-too-familiar 80s disco infusion which reminds you that this is an album. A marvelous debut, an with none too few remixes under his belt which have been well-received, this man is gonna create planet Cossus or Snufsigalonica (whichever you prefer) where we'd wanna join him and his ragtag bunch of oompa loompas and grooving trees. Here's some magic for you to sample.

Fear of Tigers - The Rich Cry Too (mp3)

Fear of Tigers - Please Don't Leave (mp3)

Fear of Tigers - Calling Your Name (mp3)