UK label Fruits de Mer Records have a by now long and proud history of releasing cover versions of more or less famous songs from the distant past in limited edition vinyl format. Among their releases of 2017 we find the single “Zappa”, where Superfjord and Sendelica take on one song each by the late master of the avant-garde and tongue-in-cheek.

For me, Superfjord’s take on Peaches En Regalia is the most compelling one. They add a cosmic vibe to the song, especially at the start and the end, and in between they have a jolly good time in alternating with various instruments and instrument textures to explore the main themes and solo sections of the song. Their take on the song does transform it into a proper psychedelic instrumental, with the wandering bass motif as the mainstay element tying all the elements together.

Sendelica’s take on Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow doesn’t engage me in quite the same manner. They do have a novel approach, with an ambient opening half consisting of vocals, bass and watery or perhaps windy sounds, and then a second half dominated by slow, heavy rhythms and guitar riffs. The soulful, rich vocals of singer Karen Langley is the key feature here however, and while her voice is stellar, the backing doesn’t quite manage to add the additional lift to this song for me.

As usual with Fruits de Mer, you can hardly speak of something not good, but rather some material that comes across better than the other. And then primarily depending on personal taste. As far as a recommended audience for this single, I’d say that Zappa fans with an interest in psychedelic rock are the ones that probably should be most curious in this case.

 

My rating: 70/100

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Track list:
Superfjord – Peaches En Regalia / Sendelica – Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow