Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Fruupp - Future Legends CD (album) cover

FUTURE LEGENDS

Fruupp

 

Symphonic Prog

3.91 | 244 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

ClemofNazareth
Special Collaborator
Prog Folk Researcher
3 stars I’m among those of the opinion that Fruup’s music is rather closer to a derivation of folk music than of rock, although certainly Vincent McCusker’s often weighty electric guitar certainly leaves little doubt that this is a rock band after all. This was the band’s first, and to my ears their best studio effort.

The band’s music has been called derivative, most often in the same breath with Yes and Genesis. As an American I’m going to go out on a limb a bit and say that these traits are probably more apparent to those music authorities who grew up steeped in British and Irish rock music and can appreciate the subtle nuances that may be lost on those of other nationalities and traditions. Certainly the vocals veer into Peter Gabriel territory at times, particularly with the opening of “Gravyard Epistle”, “Olde Tyme Future” and parts of “Lord of the Incubus” as far as this album is concerned. I really don’t hear much Yes per se, other than to acknowledge the band employs a similar mix of eclectic and exotic keyboards along with strong lead guitar much like Yes did in their heyday. Personally I’d place their sound closer to the Enid.

But for me the overall mood of a sound that sometimes seems to predate rock by a couple of centuries is quite appealing, especially as the band has a knack for leveraging modern instruments to both respect and expand on that mood. Stephen Houston is certainly an underappreciated talent, at least from an international perspective (I’ve no idea how well known or respected he was/is in his native country).

That said, there are no musical breakthroughs on the album, or really with any of the band’s music. I don’t currently own a copy of ‘Modern Masquerades’ so can’t really comment on that one, but the first three albums all contain quite pleasant and progressive symphonic rock compositions that demonstrate enough talent and variety to keep one’s interest and engagement for the length of each record. Apart from hints of folk and dominant symphonic arrangements, the band also dabbles at times with blues forms, most notably the middle section of “Lord of the Incubus” on this album. There’s also a tad bit of amusing keyboard work that wouldn’t sound too out-of-place on an 80s record toward the end of “Olde Tyme Future”, and a driving rhythm to close out “Song for a Thought” that is also a bit ahead of it’s time.

So nothing exceptional or earth-shattering here from a musical standpoint, but eight compositions that stand the test of time well enough to still be relevant to progressive music fans today. For that the album rates a high three stars for me, although I certainly wouldn’t quibble with anyone who gave it four. Well recommended to symphonic rock aficionados, but also to prog folk fans as they will undoubtedly appreciate the ‘olde-time’ feel of the music and the tasteful use of oboe, synthesized strings, and electric keyboard sound that I believe is supposed to represent a harpsichord or perhaps a spinet.

peace

ClemofNazareth | 3/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this FRUUPP review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.