Early 00s Albums: Details- Frou Frou

ALBUM OF THE DAY

Details- Frou Frou (2002)

Frou Frou was an electronic pop duo consisting of Guy Sigsworth and Imogen Heap. In 2002, they released their only studio album, Details. The unique sound and energy to this album is different stylistically than Imogen’s other work, reflecting more deep and dark raw emotion with powerful lyrics that make you sad, but also inspire.

I truly think this album is a hidden gem and that it deserves way more recognition for what it is; a truly beautiful piece of musical poetry. This album is a great example of what happens when you have two very visionary musicians together that make something unlike people have ever heard before. Guy's unique sound to the instrumentals gave the music this haunting and sentimental quality, while Imogen's angelic voice seamlessly flows over the raw electronic sound. Her voice is a soft lullaby in a chaotic construction of sounds that ring through the empty walls. At the time it came out, however, it wasn't as well received. I don't think people were ready for the unique sound that this album gave us at such an early part of the 2000s. Since the album did not sell well, they decided disband shortly thereafter. Details captures a unique sound that was way ahead of its time, which I think is probably one reason why it didn’t do so well at the time, but we can look back to music like that now to show us what powerful messages of beauty, love, and loss that we can send just by creating a song.

Some of the most popular tracks from the album include “Let Go”, “Breathe In”, and “Must Be Dreaming”. As for me, I love the raw emotional tracks such as “Only Got One” which, poetically reminds us that this is the only life we’ve got, and for that last track of the album, “The Dumbing Down of Love”, where Imogen says in a beautifully real expression of passion that: “music is worthless unless it can make a complete stranger break down and cry”. The electronic beats and mixes in songs like "Flicks" makes my mind wander in an endless sea of possibilities, where Imogen's voice is the road that leads me down this path. I think it's important to express just how great this album is by being poetic about it myself.

I have often wondered if also Guy and Imogen were together at one point, and that some of these songs reflect feelings, at least, when I was younger I did think about that. I think the most beautiful music comes from two people sharing a passion and love that is totally unique, I see those two things come together when I listen to this album, which is one of the reasons I really appreciate it so much.

Some years later, From Frou came back together at one point when the movie Shrek 2 was released, coming out with their song “Holding Out For a Hero”, which would be featured in the film. Personally, I didn’t like that song nearly as much as the album Details, and I felt like the movie didn't really give the song the proper visual attention it needed (maybe I just couldn't picture Imogen Heap's music appearing in Shrek film, I just didn't feel like the song fit well with the movie. I feel like, "Holding Out For a Hero" should have been used for something far more real, and less like a fairy tale world. That being said, I appreciate the fact that they came back together then, and a few other times to release one or two tracks, because that shows the dedication, and also the recognition this duo had for the unique sound that they created. Details is a beautiful reminder that you don't need very much going on in a song just to make it beautiful, and that's one of the things I think I really love about it as well.

Details, to me, for its raw emotion, beautiful melodies, and poetic lyrics, has to go to a 9 out of 10 for me. I recommend you listen to this beautiful hidden gem if you like Imogen Heap, because in my opinion, some of these songs will just blow you away.

“Lung of love, leaves me breathless, tongue of fool lap me in enmity, four walled secret lies among the hessian, a flicker of the future could have saved the cindered sister” ❤️