Frestonia
The sixth and last Aztec Camera album, named for a community in Notting Hill.
Aztec Camera, 1995
- Released
- November 1995
- Label
- WEA; Reprise (US)
- Producer
- Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley
Frestonia is the last Aztec Camera album, and Frame's releases afterwards were under his own name. Its title refers to the community of Frestonia in the Notting Hill district of London. Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley produced, and Frame played guitar and sang with bassist Yolanda Charles, keyboardist Mark Edwards, drummer Jeremy Stacey, percussionist Luis Jardim, singer Claudia Fontaine and a four-piece string section of Audrey Riley, Chris Tombling, Leo Payne and Sue Dench. Debutante, at 7:10, is the longest track.
It reached 100 in the UK, the lowest chart showing of the six Aztec Camera studio albums. The Independent called it "pretty dull fare," while Dave Thompson wrote that Frame comes across as "bruised, battered, and a bit disillusioned by time, but he's still a hopeless romantic at heart." In 2021 Pitchfork judged it strongest in its softest moments.
Track listing
- Rainy Season5:41
- Sun4:28
- Crazy5:19
- On the Avenue3:43
- Imperfectly4:22
- Debutante7:10
- Beautiful Girl4:50
- Phenomenal World4:09
- Method of Love4:23
- Sunset4:21
Personnel
- Roddy Frame guitar, vocals
- Yolanda Charles bass, backing vocals
- Mark Edwards keyboards
- Jeremy Stacey drums
- Luis Jardim percussion
- Claudia Fontaine backing vocals
- Audrey Riley strings
- Chris Tombling strings
- Leo Payne strings
- Sue Dench strings
- Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley producers
More from Aztec Camera
High Land, Hard Rain (1983), Knife (1984), Love (1987), Stray (1990), Dreamland (1993)
Sources
- Frestonia (album), Wikipedia
- Frestonia (0630-11929-2), Discogs
- Aztec Camera: Backwards and Forwards, Pitchfork (2021-09-03)