pavomag.com

So, about nine years ago, there was this party one night in Montevallo...  Lots of people were at the party, including some alumni who'd brought their kids.  Loud music was playing -- let's say it was Jonathan Fire Eater... or, no, wait -- maybe it was Pine Hill Haints.  The kitchen floor was wet and getting kind of gross from the condensation from a keg in a trashcan full of ice.  In the center of the soupy floor was a table topped with plates of chip and cookie crumbs, scraped out bowls of dip.  Suddenly through the house was the rush of those children, giggling with terror and abandon.  Chasing them, was a set of (grown-up) identical twins wearing Underneath all the humor is a strange current of emotional connection.masks and hats, screaming in crazy voices and quickly gaining ground.  The twins, in alphabetical order, were Paul and Peter Wilm.

Paul and Peter, who now live in Birmingham, naturally trace their playful behavior all the way back to its roots in their childhood.  Having collaborated in an earlier band, Every Alice on Earth, in art, and in general tomfoolery, the Wilm brothers serendipitously began a new music project a few years ago that quickly turned into a full fledged thing.  Named for their childhood alter ego, Fred & Daily's objective simply seems to be to have fun.  To poke fun, even, but all in good spirits.

My first exposure to Fred & Daily was probably watching the video for "My Special Someone" about a year ago.  Filmed at Bottletree, the video parodies an R&B lounge singer.  Support characters in the video wear costumes ranging from silly beehive wigs and hats to cave man beards.  The main character, a morphing chanteuse set against a silver tinsel curtain, is played by a montage of local folks made continuous by a costume consisting of an oversized black hoodie and blonde wig.  Various people playing the role of chanteuse give their own interpretation of the character, ranging from stoic and serious to ridiculously passionate.  But something happens in the course of watching this and in all of Fred & Daily's material.  On the surface is pure laughter and amusement - or maybe smirking horror and disgust.  Underneath all the humor is a strange current of emotional connection.  I told them when we recently had lunch at Bottletree, "Somehow, I found myself getting sad when I watched 'My Special Someone.' "  The Wilms laughed, but they nodded as if they understood the mixed response.Don't pop this album in expecting a traditional spoof on Christmas tunes.

Like Kung Fu movies or Monty Python, Frank Zappa or kimchi, Fred & Daily are not for everyone, mind you.  Not that they are like any of these things (though there are elements, I suppose, of each of those things.) Reviewing titles of their debut release, The Hypocrite Ballet, it's plain that some songs are born out of pure extemporaneous humor.  Many, however, are the product of the Wilm's own colloquialisms for real-life situations.  It's better that I let you challenge yourself to discern what's what... 

The Hypocrite Ballet was the result of spontaneous responses to ideas, recorded largely on the spot by one Wilm or the other, in Garage Band on their laptops.  Tracks would be added, "almost like we were playing Exquisite Corpse," said Peter, one idea jumping off of another, until the picture seemed complete.   What most sets the Wilms apart in their composition is their eagerness and ability to wear a mask, dressing up in various "sound costumes".  They slip from voice to voice, style to style, character to character, allowing each song to tell its own story. 

A word regarding their latest release, Hairy Crimmah on Ice: Don't pop this album in expecting a traditional spoof on Christmas tunes.  There's "Yuletide Lovin'," a loungey dance tune sung in the style of say, Cameo, about seduction under the mistletoe.  And "Raintime Santa," a country-folk diddy sung by a mournful Santa and a response from Nash-vegas vocals that could've been done by a more manic Ween.  The album goes peculiarly dark with a song about a boy who meets his demise in a run in with another character on the album, "Black Peter," on the tenth track, "Frozen Stockings & Thin Ice". 

Much of the Fred & Daily experience for the listener is the game of trying to figure out what in the world is going on.  A large part of this puzzle is owed to the adventure of being dropped into the bizarro world someone else's brain-scape.  Better yet, a pair of them.  Don't let the twin imagery escape you in the videos, either as it's certainly subtly placed and possibly less than intentional. 

Peter and Paul Wilm have been playing the part of Fred & Daily ever since they can remember.  Now, we have the opportunity to play along with them and catch a glimpse into their uninhibited and unencumbered, freaky imaginations.

Fred & Daily have three releases on Brooklyn based non-profit collective, End Up Records. 

Listen to tracks from Fred & Daily's The Hypocrite Ballet and watch the video for "Jingle Bell Blitz," the first track off of their latest release, Hairy Crimmah on Ice!

Please note that some of Fred & Daily's material contains what may be considered offensive language by more sensitive ears.  Listen responsibly.

Video: 

Comments