Album Review: Fovea — Pencil Me In
The blippy synth lines that open “Boss Boy” suggest that Fovea’s Pencil Me In is going to be a synthpop album. But not; that impression is corrected after about, oh, three seconds. A gauzy wash of squalling guitars crashes over the synth. Okay, so it’s a shoegaze record, right?
Wrong. The guitars recede, leaving behind that keyboard again, sounding a bit like a 1980s video arcade game. And then the vocals come in: first male, joined by female. And both are heavily processed through – of all things – Autotune! So this is a modern pop album?
Well, no. It’s all of the above, and more. Moody, clever, and damn hard to describe, Fovea makes music that his filled with friendly hooks that suggest 1980s dance-pop acts like ABC, but there’s an ambitious artiness about the four-piece’s songs that reaches far beyond mere dance fodder. Fovea doesn’t sound much at all like Talking Heads, but there’s a similar intelligent approach at work in the album’s eleven songs.
Halley Furlong-Mitchell has a haunting voice, as does whichever male band member is singing along with her. The tunes are alluring, and it’s easy to get lost in the ambient pop soundscape of Pencil Me In.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.