The name Franky Lee tends to conjure up an image of a 22-stone soul diva, powerhousing out the club classics in a kaftan the size of a tent. If that’s what you’re looking for on this album, you will be sorely disappointed. But if you fancy stumbling across a unique new rock band, then read on!
Swedes Franky Lee (the nationality, not the root vegetable – though that would be an amazing band) are the most stylish of all genres - a side project or super group. The trio are all current members of successful punk bands. Gnarls Barkley and The Raconteurs have proven it can be a very lucrative path to follow. Lead singer and guitarist Mathias Färm – who writes most of the music – is guitarist with Millencolin. Fellow guitarist Magnus Hägerås (they plan to hire a bass guitarist when they tour) plays with Peepshow while Fredrik Granberg drums for the quite brilliantly named Randy. No wonder he wanted a change… imagine having to say “Hi, we’re Randy!” every time you do publicity!
The idea for the band started during a heavy session and they call themselves “the product of a drunken scheme”. Mathias himself admits the same idea had been brought up many times by many different rockers, but this time something made them revisit it after they’d sobered up. Considering that they lacked a bass guitarist and the important fact that Mathiäs had NEVER sung in his life before, the odds should have been stacked against them. Yet with a combination of infectious humour and quirky rock romps and power ballads, their debut album is a pleasant surprise.
There are 11 good tracks out of 12 – not a bad result. ‘Antifreeze’ is the one poor track and even that’s better than Jordan and Peter’s best offering. Album highlights are the Foo Fighters-esque ‘Waiting To Go Off’ and the brilliant shouty-vocalled ‘Your Complexion’. Added to the great melodies are lyrics featuring some rather unusual English phrases: the product is more original than your average emo offering. Färm’s slightly accented vocals give the songs a quality. All that on top of the undeniable fact that we Brits love a bit of eccentricity and Franky Lee could be looking at a new adoptive home.
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