''Frestonia'' is the sixth and final studio album by the Scottish band

Aztec Camera Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop/ new wave band founded by Roddy Frame, the group's singer, songwriter, and only consistent member. Formed in 1980, Aztec Camera released a total of six studio albums: ''High Land, Hard Rain'' (1983), ''Knife'' ...

, released in 1995.

Roddy Frame Roddy Frame (born 29 January 1964) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was the founder of the 1980s new wave band Aztec Camera and has undertaken a solo career since the group's dissolution. In November 2013, journalist Brian Do ...

's subsequent releases would be under his own name. The title of the album refers to the community of

Frestonia Frestonia was the name adopted by the residents of Freston Road, London, when they attempted to secede from the United Kingdom in 1977 to form the Free and Independent Republic of Frestonia. The residents were squatters, many of whom eventual ...

, in the

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road M ...

district of London. ''Frestonia'' was the lowest-charting Aztec Camera album in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 100, whereas all previous releases made the top 30. "Sun", the only single, failed to chart.

Critical reception

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' determined that "apart from one or two highlights ... it's pretty dull fare, with desultory, predictable arrangements doing their best to avoid trampling over the lyrics." '' The Record'' deemed the album "a repulsive bit of narcissism that can't even make a claim for tragic portent; instead, it just sounds like the work of a poser." In 2021, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' wrote: "Less musically adventurous than its predecessor, Aztec’s 1995 album ''Frestonia'' is strongest in its softest moments, trading the sonic ambition of ''Dreamland'' for a classic approach to solo songwriting."

Track listing

All tracks written by

. # "Rainy Season" 5:41 # "Sun" 4:28 # "Crazy" 5:19 # "On the Avenue" 3:43 # "Imperfectly" 4:22 # "Debutante" 7:10 # "Beautiful Girl" 4:50 # "Phenomenal World" 4:09 # "Method of Love" 4:23 # "Sunset" 4:21

Personnel

– guitar, vocals *Yolanda Charles – bass, background vocals *Mark Edwards – keyboards *Jeremy Stacey – drums *

Luís Jardim Luís Alberto Figueira Gonçalves Jardim (born 4 July 1950) is a Portuguese percussionist, born in the Madeira Island, best known for his work with producer Trevor Horn. Family Jardim is a cousin of Alberto João Jardim (former president of the ...

– percussion *

Claudia Fontaine Claudia Fontaine (26 August 1960 – 13 March 2018) was an backing vocalist from Peckham, London. Career During the 1980s, Fontaine and fellow backing vocalist Caron Wheeler (and later, third member Naomi Thompson) were known as Afrodiziak. S ...

– background vocals * Audrey Riley, Chris Tombling, Leo Payne, Sue Dench – strings

References

{{Authority control Aztec Camera albums 1995 albums Albums produced by Clive Langer Albums produced by Alan Winstanley Reprise Records albums