Fancey Sure to Put Some Sunshine into Those Cold Autumn Days
March Records

Whoever designed the front-cover artwork for Fancey's self-titled debut must have had the lead-off track, "Carry Me," on repeat.

The brightly-colored orange (yes, the fruit), topped by the retro-style "Fancey" logo, screams "sweet, sunny pop inside" and that's just what "Carry Me" is. Although the song starts off with very subtle, emotive organ for the first few bars, it soon blooms into a full-blown summertime indie-pop anthem that will make you want to run through the sprinklers with all your friends.

As with The Postal Service, Fancey is an indie-supergroup-side-project deserving of your attention. Fancey is fronted by Todd Fancey, keyboardist and guitarist for the New Pornographers. "Fancey" isn't just some passing whimsy of self-indulgence, as some side-projects can be and it isn't just some dumping ground for material deemed unsuitable for the "main" band to play. Fancey's debut is full of thoughtful songwriting, memorable melody lines and pop hooks galore.

The songs on "Fancey," are also very diverse. From the super-upbeat opener to the more mellow and psychedelic "Dial Jupiter" to the driving rhythm of "Rock and Roll Rhythm" to the mellow country vibe of "In Town," "Fancey" has something for every indie-pop lover's palate.

Todd Fancey is no stranger to experimentation, mixing in harp (yes, harp!) on a few of the tunes. "Fancey" was produced by New Pornographer drummer, Kurt Dahle, and he did a commendable job making everything fit together so nicely.

"Fancey" is chock-full of lyrics that evoke images of outer space and the heavens. On "'Til the Morning Comes" Fancey sings "Surreal is climbing through the clouds, from herself and the ground. From her ceiling to the stratosphere tonight, Summer can be cruel she wants to hide. Staying high 'til the morning comes."

On "Strayed Out," which has a mellow, rolling organ that suits the mood of the lyrics perfectly, Fancey sings: "Princess of space, she sparkles a day behind. Last night she walked the stars, now she's magnetized ... she's crazy." The chorus to "Strayed Out," which is sung by Sara Lapsley, is simple pop bliss.

"Fancey" has a website where two songs, "Dial Jupiter" and "Saturday Morning," are available to download.