Words by Wim Van Hooste
The review was originally printed in Reykjavík On Stage (Issue 1)
At the age of 16, the duo Captain Fufanu (Kaktus and Gulli) mixed dub, techno, house and experimental electronica. But since 2015 there is no Captain anymore on board of the Fufanu boat. Two years after Few more days to go (2015), their debut album on the famous One Little Indian (OLI) records label, Kaktus and Gulli Einarsson found a drummer boy that goes by the name Bang. OLI is known for having a strong umbilical cord to the Icelandic indie foetus since Kaktus’ father Einar Örn’s band The Sugarcubes jumped into the Indie Indian’s teepee.
The second coming, ‘Sports’, is another 10-track album. This time it was produced by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It is a decathlon that kicks off with its arty farty build up title track. Song 2 (Fufanu supported Damon Albarn in 2015 in London btw), ‘Gone for more’, is a ‘don’t you want me’ synthpop song. The day Fufanu becomes big in Japan, the third track ‘Tokyo’, will probably be their anthem. ‘White Pebbles’ is about a sand box and flower beds. ‘Just Me’ is a more uptempo and uplifting output. The sixth song, ‘Liability’, is a full blown 80s new wave annex postpunk pastiche. ‘Bad Rockets’ is not travelling at the speed of light at all, although in the end the velocity of sound is almost reached. In song VIII, ‘Syncing in’, the guitars try to beat the synthesizers. ‘Your Fool’ is not a foolish but a wicked game. The last sport on the list is as good as the beginning, ‘Restart’.
You don’t have to wear Nike sneakers and Adidas track pants to enjoy Fufanu’s album Sports. Kaktus’ voice is quite monotonous and muttered, but his vocal chords do fit seamlessly with the mopey music. Definitely a decent and crystallized album for all old and new new wavers around the globe. Let’s say not a gold medal (yet) for the youngsters of Fufanu, but I would put a silver one around their necks for Sports.
Fufanu – Sports:
01 Sports
02 Gone for more
03 Tokyo
04 White Pebbles
05 Just me
06 Liability
07 Bad Rockets
08 Syncing in
09 Your Fool
10 Restart
