The Frames Albums (10)
What The Critics Say
If the Frames don't crack it with The Cost then there is something terribly wrong. The Irish heroes, who often get picked ahead of U2 at being the best live band at home, see this, their seventh album in a little over a decade and their third issued on the Anti label, home to Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Neko Case, Joe Henry, Danny Cohen, Marianne Faithfull, Blackalicious and Daniel Lanois, among others. The label pedigree is no accident. The Cost was recorded live in the studio in ten days. The idea was to capture some of the excitement and drama the band exude in truckloads during their live shows. With Steve Fitzmaurice and David Odlum at the helm, this is no garage rock date, but it drips with immediacy and emotion. Fronted by songwriter Glen Hansard, the quintet donned electric and acoustic guitars, simple keyboards, and drums augmented by strings and very subtle, atmospheric brass. In other words, the setting -- Black Box in France -- and extra musicians make this the Frames recording to beat and carries within it the possibility of pop greatness. This is indie pop developed to such a level that it has to be impossible to deny. Check the lilt and tension in "People Get Ready," (not the Curtis Mayfield song) where each individual is asked to evaluate her or his own life and prepare for something bigger than they are -- namely the chance to not be denied collectively. Hansard's voice is tender and tough, soft and large, and he gets to the meat of a lyric without having to exert his sincerity, unlike another frontman of a hugely popular Irish band. The strings and guitars swell and swoop, they ebb and flow together and make the entire track nearly lift off the ground. "Rise" has all the erotic tension of a great Tindersticks tune without any of the derisive or bitter irony -- not to mention Hansard's beautiful singing voice. Two tracks Hansard recorded with Czech actress, singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Markéta Irglová, who he collaborated with on the unsung-in-the U.S. CD Swell Season (and with whom he also co-starred in the John Carney film Once) are re-recorded here: "Falling Slowly" (which may lose a bit of its erotic focus but gains in sheer accessibility), and "When Your Mind's Made Up." The title track is a weeper, fueled by a slow distorted electric guitar, a snare and a hi hat. Hansard's spare phrasing and his way of spacing his lines apart allow the song's meaning -- as classic a theme of love and loss as has been recorded in this century thus far -- to come through in the silences. "Bad Bone" is the set's final cut. With a slow, whispering acoustic guitar entering just after his vocal Hansard sings: "There's a bad bone inside of me/all my trouble started there/and all the cracks are adding up to be/a little more than you can bear . . " Another guitar joins him and the tune is vaguely reminiscent of Neil Young's "Helpless," but it's drawn out quietly to bring the listener in. A violin joins the electric guitars on the refrain and Hansard sings: "When the anger that you feel/Turns to poison in your soul/And then the scars you only feel/Will start to show..." the last words come out of his mouth almost as an afterthought; the tune becomes more revelatory as the story unfolds, bringing the listener to reverie, to that moment of shame hidden in her or his life that adds that empathy and a type of hush usually reserved for the revelation of long buried secrets and disappointments. The Cost is brilliant pop music that doesn't mope in its darker moments. Hansard states his case clearly and effortlessly. The Cost reflects us with a conscience that doesn't shy away from poetry or craft, and gets it all across with the immediacy of a performance. The Frames may have a slew of albums and be Ireland's best-kept secret in the U. S., but The Cost signals their true arrival as artists of the first order, who can pull it off on a stage, and on record. This stuff is pure musical and lyrical inspiration. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Frames have been fighting it out for 15 years, issuing albums that explode in the Czech Republic and nowhere else, go platinum in Galway but can't get noticed in the U.S.A. They should finally get their due with Burn the Maps. It's the determined Irish combo's first studio effort for Anti-, the Epitaph signature label that showcases such disparate and discerning acts as Joe Henry, the Locust, and Jolie Holland, and Glen Hansard and the lads fit in there just fine -- Anti-'s an oddly shaped place, but it offers artists room to move. The same applies to the Frames' music, which on Maps swings from the barbed, railing guitar rage of the Pixies nod "Underglass" to songs where a whispering, almost self-conscious Hansard stands next to roaring chorus set pieces that bring the band's full complement of guitars and sweeping fiddle to the table. In "Fake" he delivers the bitter central question -- "Come on the guy's a fake/What do you love him for?" -- as both a scream and a plea, while "Happy" makes incredible use of studio mixing to put the vocals in one ear, lingering harmonies in the other, and layers of acoustic guitar, swelling strings, and even a little electric squelch under the whole bit. That's the opener, and it brings listeners into the Frames' world of raw elegance. "Ship Caught in the Bay" starts with gentle percussion and a faraway melodic lilt, but drops in stuttering treated percussion near the three-minute mark for an atmospheric effect not unlike what the Doves do so well. It's also a bridge to Burn the Maps' final portion, three lengthy tracks that essay the Dirty Three's epic sway, build from aching acoustic guitar into a sort of comforting love song ("Wake up/It's your love calling," goes "Suffer in Silence"), and drift away on swirling fiddle and tinkling piano. Sometimes it seems like the Frames are holding back on Maps. The single "Finally" is one of the record's most deliberate moments, but it could have let Colm Mac Con Lomaire's fiddle hit a little harder. And though "Dream Awake"'s slow build is standard operating procedure for the band, it doesn't really climax as much as it plateaus. These minor missteps, however, don't lessen the album's gravity. Burn the Maps is an elemental journey that tugs at the heart and sticks around in the mind -- just as the Frames have been doing for years. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Set List is the first Frames' release under the Irish roustabouts' domestic distribution deal with Anti, in preparation for a proper studio full-length. It makes sense, the live album release -- the Frames have always made their name on-stage, and Set List will disappoint neither the ardent fan nor curious newcomer. Glen Hansard is a frontman of the beaded, bloody sweat variety, and his mates never get tired of amping the emotion with heart tingling wails of guitar and shrill fiddle. The crowd never tires of it, either -- they shout along with the righteous rock release of "Revelate," hesitate in hushed anticipation for the nearly nine-minute novella "Santa Maria," and coo like contented schoolchildren during the subtle rushes of "Lay Me Down." Hansard proves to be a storyteller of the classic Irish variety, all unassuming humor and prescient asides. His lengthy intro to "What Happens When the Heart Just Stops" (from 2001's For the Birds) is roundabout hilarious, and he lets it fade perfectly into some scattered opening chords before building the song to an absolutely elegiac moment of release. The rambling, deadpan folk-pop of "Rent Day Blues" offers a bit of a reprieve from this sort of soul-baring, but that's only to set up a pair of screeching hymns in "Pavement Tune" and "The Stars Are Underground." As the Frames are criminally underappreciated in the States, Set List can't quite avoid the patches of second-generation staleness that almost always taint live albums. In other words, you had to be there. But it still substantiates the Frames' reputation for punctuating passion with peels of feedback, making it recommended listening for the initiated and novice alike. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
An odds-and-ends collection of rare B-sides, recasts of older tracks, and one live number, The Roads Outgrown also serves as a good brief introduction to the latter period of a band that has undergone significant stylistic change over the course of its existence. "Lay Me Down," the opening song, is the keeper of the bunch, with its bottoming-out bass drum rumbling underneath a hopelessly forlorn violin. There's also a worthy cover of Will Oldham's "New Partner" and a soaring live version of "Fitzcarraldo," one of the band's best songs. ~ Jason Nickey, All Music Guide
'Set List: Live in Dublin'
Release Date 7/15/2003
Tracks 13
Label Import
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Set List is the first Frames' release under the Irish roustabouts' domestic distribution deal with Anti, in preparation for a proper studio full-length. It makes sense, the live album release -- the Frames have always made their name on-stage, and Set List will disappoint neither the ardent fan nor curious newcomer. Glen Hansard is a frontman of the beaded, bloody sweat variety, and his mates never get tired of amping the emotion with heart tingling wails of guitar and shrill fiddle. The crowd never tires of it, either -- they shout along with the righteous rock release of "Revelate," hesitate in hushed anticipation for the nearly nine-minute novella "Santa Maria," and coo like contented schoolchildren during the subtle rushes of "Lay Me Down." Hansard proves to be a storyteller of the classic Irish variety, all unassuming humor and prescient asides. His lengthy intro to "What Happens When the Heart Just Stops" (from 2001's For the Birds) is roundabout hilarious, and he lets it fade perfectly into some scattered opening chords before building the song to an absolutely elegiac moment of release. The rambling, deadpan folk-pop of "Rent Day Blues" offers a bit of a reprieve from this sort of soul-baring, but that's only to set up a pair of screeching hymns in "Pavement Tune" and "The Stars Are Underground." As the Frames are criminally underappreciated in the States, Set List can't quite avoid the patches of second-generation staleness that almost always taint live albums. In other words, you had to be there. But it still substantiates the Frames' reputation for punctuating passion with peels of feedback, making it recommended listening for the initiated and novice alike. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Frames were supposed to make their first trip to America following the release of For the Birds in 2001, but their plans had to be canceled after their ten-year lead guitarist called it quits. With Simon Good on board, they first toured Central Europe in the winter of 2002 before crossing the Atlantic. Breadcrumb Trail documents a concert in Brno, Czech Republic, in front of an enthusiastic audience. Understandably, the set list included many selections from For the Birds, including the atmospheric rocker "Santa Maria," where Good shines. This song's power was only hinted at in the studio version. Glen Hansard and consorts also revisit a few key tracks from their previous albums, including the gripping "Fitzcarraldo," the show's other highlight. Softer numbers also work well, "Lay Me Down" and "New Partner" being the most effective. For "Fitzcarraldo," "Ohio Riverboat Song" (a traditional folk song), and "Red Chord," Czech violinist Jan Hruby joins in, trading solos with the Frames' Colm Mac Con Iomaire. The concert took place in a relaxed atmosphere, and the CD conveys it very well, although it means the listener has to suffer through Hansard's unfocused presentations. The album concludes with new scaled-down studio recordings of "Look Back Now" and "Star Star," a charming way to say goodbye. Breadcrumb Trail is a strong live album, the group's first and therefore a welcome addition to their discography. It taps into the essence of the Frames' folk-rock, more than any studio producer could do. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For the Birds opens with "In the Deep Shade," an understated instrumental that sets the mood for the rest of the album. Despite some relatively peppy numbers such as "Fighting on the Stairs," the wailing guitar sound on songs such as "Early Bird" and "Santa Maria," and the expectations some listeners may have for an album recorded with Craig Ward (dEUS) and Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana, Rapeman), this is primarily a gentle, slow, and melancholic album. It features melodic, folk-influenced rock songs (somewhere in the general vicinity of Will Oldham and Nick Drake, for example) with clearly discernible instruments including mandolin, piano, violin, brushed drums, and softly strummed guitar, as well as vocals that manage to sound emotive even when they seem hushed. The band says in their liner notes that this was their first chance to record an album without having to "cater to people outside of the band"; consequently, For the Birds features less-commercial arrangements that allow the group to take a leisurely pace, use subtle dynamics and negative space, and gradually build emotional intensity over the course of a song instead of trying to hook listeners immediately. Of course, this is hardly the first band to try this type of approach, but Frames handle it gracefully. ~ Todd Kristel, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On their 1999 album Dance The Devil, Dublin's Frames craft more of the passionate rock that has made them popular in their homeland. Songs like "Pavement Tune" are catchy and focused, making this collection their best to date. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Frames were signed to recording contract before they were really even a band. So, as one might expect, their debut album is a little uneven and scattered; they had yet to find their voice as a band, and at times they appear to be struggling to capture some of the grand, stadium-rocking bombast of U2. Even so, Another Love Song displays a raw energy and a potential that is undeniable, especially on songs like the album-opening "The Dancer" and "Masquerade." Elsewhere, on "Downhill From Here? and "Picture of Love," the band shows the kind of low-key, atmospheric vibe that would characterize later albums. Not the best place to start an exploration of this constantly evolving band -- that would be have to be For the Birds, released almost a decade later -- but worth checking out if it can be found (as of early 2002, Another Love Song remains out of print). ~ Jason Nickey, All Music Guide
