Oh Contraire! by Nick Frater
Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for Nick Frater's twelfth studio spectacular, "Oh Contraire" – an album so ambitious it had to be recorded along Glastonbury's ley lines just to contain its power. Picture this: vintage synthesizers performing a circus act on sacred ground, while French horns (courtesy of Brian Wilson Band’s own Probyn Gregory) dance with strings from London's Royal College of Music. It's what happens when a sophisticated-pop architect decides to build a sonic skyscraper using Mellotrons for bricks and harmonies for mortar.
But wait until you hear about the handclaps – guerrilla-recorded in Abbey Road's Studio 2 on a mobile phone, like musical ninjas executing the world's most rhythmic heist. This is an album where Supergrass meets Roxy Music for a motorik dance party, Queen crashes Supertramp's prog picnic, and somewhere, somehow, a pelican gets involved. From the French horn fanfare that kicks things off to the heart-wrenching goodbye that closes the curtain, "Oh Contraire" is what happens when you let a master craftsman loose in a candy store of vintage gear and legendary spaces.
Tracklist
| 1. | Fanfare | 1:24 |
| 2. | My Heart's In Stereo | 2:22 |
| 3. | I Know You Know I Know | 3:00 |
| 4. | Song For The One-Eyed City | 2:56 |
| 5. | Final Reminder | 2:29 |
| 6. | Seraphim Called | 4:06 |
| 7. | One Minute | 3:19 |
| 8. | Steal Away | 3:33 |
| 9. | All Roads Lead To Home | 3:46 |
| 10. | Dreaming Of A Wonderland | 3:47 |
| 11. | Goodnight, Goodbye | 2:37 |
Videos
Credits
Written, performed, recorded, mixed and produced by Nick Frater
Mastered at Simon Francis Mastering
Art and design Adam Mallett
Nick Frater -
Vocals, ARP Pro/DGX, August Föster grand piano, Hohner Accordion, Jas Harmonium, Korg mini 700, Logan strings, Mellotron M400, Mini Moog, Moog Prodigy, Roland Jupiter 8, Solina String Ensemble, Suzuki Omnichord, Wurlitzer ep200, Yamaha CS50, Epiphone Casino, Squier Jazzmaster, Fender Mustang bass, Hofner Violin bass, Rickenbacker 4003, Squier PJ bass, Squier Cabronita baritone, Larrive acoustic, Taylor Big baby acoustic, Revelation RJT60/12 string, Abbey Road handclaps, anvil, and a bunch of other stuff
Alex Lewis - Vocals
Dan Johnston - Vocals
Jake Smith - Vocals, Gibson SG, Fender Deluxe, Vocals
Lenny Smith - Ibanez 'lawsuit Les Paul’, Electro Harmonix microsynth, Marshall Triple Super Lead
Jamie Whelligan - Korg MS20, Hofner Violin Bass,
Lannie Flowers - Rickenbacker 4003 Bass, Percussion
Tom Shotton - Ludwig Drums, Zildjian cymbals (3,5,6)
Joe Montague - Ludwig Drums, Avedis cymbals, castanets, Abbey Road handclaps (9)
Luke Smith - Vocals Tama Drums,Meinl cymbals, Abbey Road handclaps (10)
Nick Bertling - Ludwig Drums, Paiste cymbals, Pearl concert toms (4,7)
Danny Wilkerson - Premier Drums, Zildjian cymbals (1,2,8,11)
Cary Grace - EMS VCS3
Probyn Gregory - Yamaha YHR-668N French Horn
Joe Kane - Abbey Road handclaps
Michael Simmons - Hohner bass harmonica
David Horvat - 1st Violin
Ana Molnar-Popa - 2nd Violin
Charis Morgan - Viola
Iza Stefańska - Cello
Strings arranged by Joseph Lawrenson
Strings recording engineer - Stephen Harrington
Strings recorded at the Belle Shenkman Studios, Royal College Of Music, London
Drums and bands recorded at:
(1,2,8,11) Buffalo Studios, London
JB Pilon - recording engineer
(3,5,6,10) One Cat Studio, London
Jon Clayton - recording engineer
Somerset Synth Sanctuary,
Andy Thompson - synth engineer
Abbey Road Studio Two, London and at our homes.
License
All rights reserved.
Croydon based songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist.
Specialising in 60s/70s inspired power-pop.
Making them like that anymore!