Sudol, age 24, is the leader of A Fine Frenzy, which she introduced to the world with the 2007 album ONE CELL IN THE SEA. The project established her as one of the most talented young singers and songwriters around; it received rave reviews, was widely exposed through songs being licensed to numerous television shows, and reached Number One on Billboard’s “Heatseeker” charts. A Fine Frenzy was chosen as a VH1 “You Oughta Know” artist, and much was made of the young redheaded singer’s literary interests (including a band name taken from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream).
But with the follow-up, BOMB IN A BIRDCAGE, Alison Sudol is most certainly revealing another side of A Fine Frenzy. While the album retains the tuneful charm and whimsical language of the debut, it adds new colors and textures, with louder guitars and beats that sometimes veer into New Wave-y dance territory.
Sudol attributes some of her attraction to different sounds to the whirlwind path that her career had taken, including lengthy tours alongside the likes of Rufus Wainwright and Brandi Carlile. “I came home and didn’t know how to be. My life had really changed,” she says. “I was tired and burned-out, and sick of being on the road, but I also had learned a lot from the musicians we had toured with and wanted to put it to use. I needed music to ground me, to figure life out and to make myself happy.”
Playing live and exploring new music led Sudol to the conclusion that the ethereal, haunting feel of ONE CELL wasn’t the only weapon in her arsenal. “On the first record, I felt very young, and I think I made up for it by being very serious... about everything... This time, I didn’t want to limit myself. I wanted to stretch and grow and push myself past my comfort zone. I also wanted to have fun.”
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