''Junkfuel'' is the debut album by the English band Fretblanket, released in 1994. The band supported the album by opening for

Oingo Boingo Oingo Boingo () was an American new wave music, new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a Surrealism, surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and wri ...

on a North American tour. ''Junkfuels first single was "Twisted".

Production

The band members were still in their teens when they made ''Junkfuel''. The album was produced by

Tim Palmer Tim Palmer may refer to: * Tim Palmer (film historian) (born 1975), English film historian * Tim Palmer (journalist), Australian journalist * Tim Palmer (1943-1997), British technology journalist * Tim Palmer (physicist) (born 1952), English physic ...

; some percussion was recorded at

Smart Studios Smart Studios was a recording studio located in Madison, Wisconsin. It was set up in 1983 by Butch Vig and Steve Marker to produce local bands. The studio produced bands such as Killdozer, The Smashing Pumpkins, L7, Tad, Nirvana, Hawthorne H ...

, in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

. Many of the songs are character studies that empathize with their subjects.

Critical reception

The ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' noted: "Sounding like the Replacements or

Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit " Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dave Pirner ...

but with guitar-techie precision, these very young men—the oldest is 20—with long shiny hair would be a publicist’s dream if their songs were at all distinctive." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' concluded that "William Copley's angry, raw-throated vocals and Clive Powell's grunge-guitar attack mark Fretblanket as one of the first British groups to reflect the worldwide influence of Nirvana's ''Nevermind'' ... But ''Junkfuel'', with its rampaging hardcore rhythms and pop hooks, owes at least as much to Jawbreaker and the

Descendents The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in Manhattan Beach, California, in 1977, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson (musician), Bill Stevenson as a power pop/surf music, surf punk band. I ...

, and Powell's lyrics showcase a bright new talent with ideas of his own." ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' wrote that Fretblanket "leads off its rambunctious U.S. debut with the aptly named 'Twisted', at the very least a glorious mess of inspired imagery... While less coherent elsewhere on the album, the band is full of intriguing ideas." The ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is owned by Hearst Communications. The distribution of the following ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', '' ...

'' thought that "the parts all seem to fit, but the sum sounds forced and clenched, as if the band hasn't figured out how to loosen up and let itself be a little less stilted." ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

'' determined that ''Junkfuel'' "is filled with high-energy wailing and plenty of thick guitar-bashing, but they are not without a decided sense of dynamics." ''

Miami New Times The ''Miami New Times'' is a newspaper published in Miami, Florida, United States, and distributed every Thursday. It primarily serves the Miami metropolitan area, and is headquartered in Miami's Wynwood Art District. Overview It was acquired ...

'' opined that "Fretblanket sounds like Soul Asylum without the brains rexperience."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote that, "with its bland formula of loud, intricate guitar chords mixed with simplistic, pounding drums and heavy cymbals, Fretblanket sounds an awful lot like Bush."

Track listing

References

{{authority control Fretblanket albums 1994 debut albums Atlas Records albums