Teengirl Fantasy - 7am
- Written by Kenneth McMurtrie
7am, the debut album from the New York duo Teengirl Fantasy carries on from the single 'Portofino' and the (possibly illegitimate) CD-R ten tracker that's doing the rounds with a polished selection of forward thinking house, drenched in layer upon layer of swirling synths.
There's no evidence of such a thing as a house 4/4 beat until third song 'In The Rain', so dreamy and spaced out are the opening two cuts. Whether you'd actually take to the dancefloor even with the advent of the beat is open for debate. The entire album is so laid back that it's almost a parody of some sort of Blaxploitation seduction soundtrack. It totally lacks any memorable hooks but having said that is not an unpleasant listening experience, just one that washes over you like a tepid bath and which you forget just as soon as you've toweled off.
You could easily have this on an iPod set to gapless playback for your next visit to the floatarium in place of whale noises etc. It's massively inoffensive – like the Milk Tray Man staying around to sleep with the recipient of the chocolates, but being sweet enough not to stay for breakfast.
'Forever The Feeling' threatens to liven things up a bit too much but after a couple of minutes it winds down into Orb-like territory and only picks up the pace again for the final minute or so. 'Dancing In Slow Motion' is the only track to feature discernible lyrics (sung by Shannon Funchess of Light Asylum, !!! and other projects) and this provides a nice change from the otherwise tune-only offerings.
Proceedings are brought to a close in an upbeat fashion once more on the six minutes-plus 'Cheaters' which is probably the best tune on the album, with its soulful appeal to cheaters to see the light and mend their ways and fairly heavy drum sound. Not then a release to help you through the housework but as an aid to coming down from the night before its practically chicken soup.
