The Free Design then and now. Japanese cult star Cornelius has reissued several Free Design records on his Trattoria label, and Stereolab even titled a cut on Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night after them. But now, after a hiatus of nearly 30 years, the Free Design are back.
Ensembles singing vocal harmonies, particularly families, are nothing new in pop.
According to leader Chris Dedrick, the Free Design's close-knit sound has always been arranged on paper long before the family enters the studio. You can do vocal arrangements that are not necessarily in the jazz or classical style, but still have counterpart, and interesting voicing, and voices going in directions that probably wouldn't happen off the top of your head. We were coming at it from a na vet that maybe is refreshing. I'm spoofing myself as much as anybody else. Despite the onset of gray hair, Chris says maintaining the almost childlike innocence that distinguishes the band's songs and makes Cosmic Peekaboo as refreshing as any of the group's original output has never been a challenge.