There is some old FME lore behind the name Frannie Holder. I only know the name because one of her band’s, Random Recipe, played FME’s first secret show inside the famed late-night Morasse Poutine shop some 20 years ago. Now at this year’s FME, Frannie debuted her solo project in the seated Agora Des Spectacles. The bits that I saw were a combination of experimental pop, trip-hop and French art house vibes.
As Frannie sang in operatic tone in French, a bass player and drummer created a hazy wall of sound, allowing Frannie to hop on the synthesizer. It was a bit Regina Spektor meets Björk, with a dash of Montreal’s N NAO— a calming way to start the day at 4 pm. I noticed that it was in fact the drummer leading many of the more complex changes, calling out “un, deux, trois, quatre,” before ending a song or signalling the next jam. It will be interesting to see what shape these songs take on record, but only time will tell.
