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The Frames
The Frames are huge in Ireland -- but not so much here in the US (even working with producer Steve Albini didn't seem to do the trick) -- which is unfortunate.
The band has a massive oeuvre -- they've been together since 1991. But it's their most recent albums, For the Birds and Burn the Maps, that have established the band as masters of deceptively low-key but highly emotional rock songs. These songs, taking cue from lead singer Glen Hansard's gravelly, growly voice, accelerate to crescendos of heartbreaking confessions as the guitar and fiddle clamor around Hansard's lyrics that are, at times, as bitter as they are sweet. The first time I heard "Fake" (included in the sample tracks below) my arms crawled with goosebumps and I couldn't stop listening to the song on repeat for a rather disturbing amount of time. It's one of the most heartwrenching paeans to lost love that I've ever heard. Ever.
I've heard though, that the linchpin of "getting" The Frames revolves around attending one of their shows. I've not had the pleasure of this experience -- but it's been reported to me that a Frames show is a singular thing -- a fierce, jubilant sing along that's a sort of massive group therapy. I can't wait to experience this in person.
The Frames - Fake
The Frames - Dream Awake
The Frames - Star Star (live)
The Frames - Lay Me Down (live)
The Frames - Fitzcarraldo
The Frames' official website. Their latest release, Burn The Maps, is available from Amazon.
Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll at 02.28.05 at 3:25 AM
Comments
We caught them at one of the afternoon shows at Yard Dogs. It was a beautiful sunny day, and they really played well in that atmosphere, with a few slow, plaintive songs, some rockers and one or two that were near perfect runs from one end of that spectrum to the other. Judging from the reaction of my group of around 8 or 10, they are a group you either get or you don't, with not much in-between.
Posted by: houstongoober at 02.28.05 at 9:01 PM
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