We both didn't get to SXSWWe both didn't get to SXSW
Forget bands with wintery-climate-and-primate-sounding names. I say one of the best bands from the Emerald Isle is The Frames.
I first saw these guys about three years ago in Beijing, when The Frames took part in some China-Ireland cultural exchange. The Frames was supposed to play last month at South By Southwest, but cancelled last-minute when singer Glen Hansard had to finish a movie soundtrack. Luckily the band starts its U.S. tour on April 6 in San Diego, ensuring the group's nice and fresh for the April 7 show in San Francisco. (Pathetic aside: Am I the only one in this town who thinks of MUSIC, not INTERNET, when hearing about SXSW?)
The band recently put out its latest worldwide release on Anti Records. It's an awful lot more quiet than the last album, 2004's Burn The Maps. Hopefully this review will make you wanna see them at the Filmore on April 7; you can also check them out at the Coachella music fest in the desert at the end of the month (if all goes well I should have some kind of interview with the band to preview the fesitval later on).
Because I've already seen/heard firsthand how great these guys are, I'm gonna do something different: write a review of the latest CD, The Cost, as I listen to it track by track. No post-editing other than to correct typos--I want y'all to read my primal reactions to the disc, which is probably the most honest way to present it. Before I begin, I just hope I can convey just how much of a cohesive force this band is. The violin is more like a second human vocal rather than a peripheral instrument. Ugh, hope the mention of "violin" doesn't make you think of some kind of stereotypical folk act. Really, these guys rawk freakin' harder than even some metal acts I've heard--even if the dynamics tend to travel to extremes within the same track. Live, they tend to launch into unconventional covers of the Willy Wonka movie tune "Imagination" and Annie song "Hard Knock Life." Well, here goes:
"Song For Someone": A pretty quiet way to start off a record, sure. But as is typical for these guys, the combo of emotional and instrumental crescendo comes pretty quickly.
"Falling Quickly": Very reminiscent of a track on singer Glen Hansard's solo album--a CD I've been wanting to review but which hit me at such an emotional level that I couldn't cheapen it by a critique. This track, though, gets the full-band treatment.
"People Get Ready": An outcry for people to quit being pussies and do what they know they should--though a pretty restrained one, despite the cool wall-of-sound technique that combines Sonic Youth with acoustic hippie sounds.
"Rise": It's around this track that I see the personal growth of the narrator in all Frames' music. When Burn The Maps came out, I was struck by the sense of profound regret. On this album, regret be damned--it's all about making things right no matter what the cost. Oh, and here's a great example of the violin making as emotional a plea as the vocals.
"When Your Mind's Made Up": A slow crescendo to a bunch of screaming guitars, which you never would've expected when the song first begins. Almost banshee-like cries--more so the instruments than the voice.
"Sad Songs": Kind of weird, psychedelic number--in the gothic organ-like keyboard and emotive violin more than some kind of faux LSD inspiration. But it turns pretty before you can think it strange.
"The Cost": Bluesey pre-Led Zepplin guitars open and sustain this title track, developing into a wail that perpetuates The Frames' ability to use instruments to convey emotion beyond the human voice.
"True": Like listening to all the voices in one's head when one is trying to figure out how to make things right. Only more rockin'.
"The Side You Never Get To See": Sad, yet also uplifting. Or vice-versa.
"Bad Bone": Quietly, these guys made me realize that I shouldn't hang onto the bitterness of most past personal relationships, lest my spirit die before it has a chance to flourish.
Gawd, I dunno if I did these guys justice. I suggest you find out for yourselves: The Frames play 8 p.m. Saturday, April 7 at the Filmore in San Francisco. If you see me, lemme know what ya think!
UPDATE: Fantastic gig. Really. Never felt like crying and laughing simultaneously at a show before. Those of you lucky enough to have Coachella tix (or to live in Europe where the lads play much more often) can bask in my jealousy :)
