Eric Arnouville (aka Feck) is a senior English major who already has a canon of music. Earlier this year, he released South Wayside and 45 on Spotify. With a catalogue of 39 albums total on his Bandcamp, this appears to be his slickest and most ambitious project yet.

Although the Metairie native says that Talking Heads are a big influence, the first track on South Wayside sure doesn’t sound like it. To this listener, “Dedo” has a romantic ’80s sense to it with lush guitar – distorted John Hughes on a rainy day segueways to the upbeat punkish “Stuff to Try.” (The multi-instrumentalist insists the guitar is his weakest musical skill set, but it definitely does not sound that way.)

“Sometimes it’s fun to have a song that sounds like it’s from the bowels of Hell, but it’s also fun to try to get something stuck in people’s heads,” said Feck, in a flannel shirt behind locks of black hair,

Even if you’re not a punk fan per se, you can’t help but smile at tracks like “Crossroad Circuit” and “I Know a Parking Lot.” If anything stands out the most about Feck in general it’s his endearing sneer and confusion in his voice, which has been lacking in music for a long time. His voice is biting and playful like John Cusack doing a Johnny Rotten impression – there is even a theatrical element to it. But the name Feck has its roots not in sweet teen dramas – it comes from the 1986 film “River’s Edge,” a dark murderous comedy in which the namesake is played by Dennis Hopper.

Another standout about South Wayside and 45 is the effortless transitions between multiple genres. Musicians may know that mastering is usually the second step after mixing an album with a vision of album progression – Feck does it flawlessly, going from gorgeous instrumentals all the way to acoustic tongue in cheek ballads like “Chessy Was a Lunatic.”

He admits he can’t commit to just one sound, but the senior in his last semester is committed to making music a top priority. Both undergrad and graduate students might wonder how he still finds the time to create. “My ideal way to spend free time is by working on music,” he says, “So once I’m out of classes I start working on that. I don’t find it hard to do both and I’d have to be tremendously busy to neglect making music.

“I [have] a compulsion with finishing things–if I’m working on an album, for example, I’m not going to feel satisfied until the album is done. So I will often shift all my energy to the project and it will often come out very quickly. Sometimes it doesn’t come out quickly and I’m in a living hell until it’s finished. Even worse, sometimes I’ll finish the project and release it and immediately have the urge to start something else, and this continuous need to complete my projects becomes a deranged cycle. And if something’s just not working, it’s hard for me to let it go.”

Once upon a time in music, it was OK to be sharp-tongued, biting, and unsure, but Feck’s voice is so likable you won’t be bent out of shape about it. He’ll have achieved his goal with his songs sticking in your head in no time at all.

Feck can be streamed on Spotify  and “South Wayside and 45” is available for purchase at https://feckmusic.bandcamp.com/album/south-wayside-and-45

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: This article is a reprint from a discontinued university paper.