Fazer - Yamaha (2024) [Hi-Res]

Munich-based quintet Fazer returns to Squama with their fourth studio album, ‘Yamaha’. After 2022's "Plex", Fazer contemplates the defiance and embrace of expectations, both in the industry and in art at large, on a record that melds indie, jazz and psychedelic rock with humour and depth.
Embracing a DIY approach, Fazer recorded and mixed the record with engineer and friend Noël Riedel at bassist Martin Brugger’s studio in central Munich. Without the pressure of a costly daily rate, the band took plenty of time figuring out the setup and experimenting with sound. Brugger gives an example: “We would spend an afternoon looking for the perfect reverb for the trumpet and ended up using the spooky-sounding staircase next door as an echo chamber.” While all tracks were still recorded live with everyone in the room, there are noticeably more overdubs on ‘Yamaha’ compared to previous records. Acoustic guitars, trombone, Wurlitzer, and assorted percussion add depth and colour to Fazer’s core setup, which MOJO Magazine described as a “tightly coiled, well-oiled machine.”

The album title stems from the artwork, which existed long before any new music was written. “There are obviously a bunch of companies and products named Fazer, and friends would regularly send us photos of a chocolate bar or a motorbike with our name on it. Max Schachtner (of Squama) came up with this draft that was just the logos of Yamaha and Fazer, their line of motorbikes, and it hit so hard that we decided to build the whole release around it.”

Unexpectedly, ‘Yamaha’ doesn’t start off with roaring motors, but quiet ride cymbal strokes that turn into the dark jazz opener ‘Foam.’ It slowly gains traction with the laid-back psychedelic rock piece ‘Apex’ and ‘Honda,’ arguably the catchiest tune on the record, albeit with an extended balearic guitar solo in the middle. The drum grooves of Simon Popp and Sebastian Wolfgruber are largely rooted in the rock vernacular, with latin and african influences from their first three records appearing either subtly or hyperbolically, as in the melancholic Casio keyboard samba ‘Rectifier’. ‘Spirit Runs’ links this record to Fazer’s previous ones in form and style with a two-voice theme and playful solo interplay between Matthias Lindermayr on trumpet and Paul Brändle on guitar. ‘Yamaha’ doesn’t exceed its speed limit until near the end with the full-blown rock hitter ‘Chrome,’ only to cool down right after with the closing track ‘22bhp down.’