Doddy, Fritz: The Feeling Of Far

Here's a risky statement: If this record had been released in the 1970s it would be on a pedestal today alongside the best pieces by progressive rock's big five.

We live in an era when originality is almost impossible because someone, somewhere, has already done it. Yet with The Feeling Of Far, Fritz Doddy has achieved that rare quality of true originality. The vibe across this record is reminiscent of early prog's very Brit-like irreverence and self deprecation, its creativity and its flagrant disregard for convention. Yet for all that innovation, there's no avant garde, RIO, or off the wall stuff here. The whole piece is approachable and very melodic - the hooks are enormous, and the simple but elegant tunes will stay with you for weeks.

One of the first impressions you'll get is what fun this record is. The upbeat yet enormously sensitive treatment of its subject matter will bring you smiles, and you get the idea that it was a series of happy accidents that were dashed off in a week or two of inspiration. Not so - this is a classic example of the adage 'the hardest thing to accomplish is to make something look easy'. This album was a seven-year labor of love, and on close examination you can appreciate both - the meticulous attention to detail, and the deeply personal sentiments imbued in this music.

Multi-instrumentalist Fritz Doddy is a multiple Clio award-winning creative director, with musical scores used extensively on national television commercials and on TV station identifications, and has honed his skills playing in a variety of bands for many years. And this music has received glowing commendations from Yes's Jon Anderson. (We'll leave it to Fritz to reveal the contents of that review.)

Doddy describes The Feeling Of Far as a concept album, but it's really a strongly themed piece in which similar sentiments are expressed across the whole record, and there are recurring musical and lyrical themes that tie it all together very effectively. The best way to describe the music is 'trippy-eclectic meets melodic by way of the 1970s, played in the park across the road from The Beatles, The Cardiacs The Moody Blues and Tears For Fears'. No two songs are the same, no two sections are the same, yet it remains cohesive and consistent throughout. The overall sound leans toward light-hearted prog-pop, yet there's enormous depth here. Besides the standard rock ensemble this music is built with contributions from a big collection of guest artists and with a big collection of instruments including violin, melodica, mandolin, cellos, electric sitar, bouzouki, trombone, Chinese flutes, minimoog, kalimba, shakers and toy piano. And it is a true showcase for Mellotrons. A recent acquisition Doddy received from Streetly is a tape frame containing new samples that he developed himself. Key among these is a plucked piano - you climb into a big Yamaha grand with a guitar pick and you pluck each piano string. The result is a series of samples that fall somewhere between a finger-picked 12-string and a piano, with a deep, rich tone that is used to wonderful effect on this CD. Yet for all those instrumental contributions, the music flows with deceptive ease. There are no big walls of sound – just an easy stream of continually fluid, always different sounds – never straying from the basic themes and melodies.

The vocals are varied, provided mostly by Fritz in a light mid-range. There are important contributions by Ian Loyd, members of the Doddy family, and particularly by Susan McKeown (singing in English and Gaelic) and Peiwen Chao singing in Chinese. The lyrics are intelligent and explore the fact that as we grow up we lose so much of what we had as children, and this music attempts to recapture those qualities. My daughter's older than I'll ever be, and My dogs like chasing ghosts from my past ... Knowing I can't see them'. The mood of these songs is consequently buoyant and energetic, yet for some of us, the message is so close to home that as you reach out for that replay button you feel you've just been hit by a Mac truck.

So it doesn't come from the 1970s. But The Feeling Of Far's quality and appeal matches the inventiveness and the sincerity of that era, and ought to find a place among the greats.

Track Listing:
1. Cynical Eye (6:24)
2. Amieveliano (6:42)
3. The Feeling of Far (2:43)
4. It's Only a Dream (5:07)
5. All the Best (3:49)
6. In the Tree (6:09)
7. Over You (4:03)
8. God is Hiding (2:08)
9. Nothing but Laughter (5:48)
10. The Lonely Path (5:47)
11. Cynical Eye (radio mix) (3:47)
12. It's Only a Dream (radio mix) (4:19)

Added: June 6th 2005
Reviewer: Duncan Glenday
Score:
Related Link: Fritz Doddy's Web Site
Hits: 4795
Language: english

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