• Band / Artist : The Frames – mySpace
• Genre : Acoustic / Rock
• Sample Track Download : N/A
• Buy CD : RoadRecs
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 9 out of 10

This is a band that’s been on my radar for a while, having seen mentions of them in various places. I’d never however heard a single track of theirs, so was quite excited to receive this album in the post from my friends at Epitaph, the Frames are on their sister label Anti.

The first track “Song for Someone” has that hint of angst that always fills me with great expectation and I wasn’t disappointed. The vocals are very distinct and you’d certainly have no difficulty picking them out in a vocal line up.”Falling Slowly” continues the theme of angst that threads it’s way through this album. “People Get Ready” has strong overtones of Cat Stevens, certainly vocally, whilst musically there’s something amazing that just builds and builds. I have to say though, at times there’s a peculiar sound that I didn’t realise at first was the song. My wife actually though it was a cat, when I was played the album at home one weekend.

It seems of late that there always seem to be a track on the album that generally breaks up the continuity. This can sometimes be a good thing, but sometimes, it makes the album seem somewhat disjointed. This for me was the case with “Rise”, which at times reminded me a lot of the early Peter Gabriel stuff. “When Your Minds Made Up” though turns things back around again, and it’s interesting that that feel of Cat Stevens returns.”Sad Songs” as well reminds me of some of the latter Cat Stevens material.

I’ve made an observation of late, that the title track on many albums, don’t seem to be the strongest track and indeed sometimes it’s one of the weakest tracks. This for me is the case here with “Cost”. which did little to engage me, when compared to the rest of the album. “True” has a gorgeous, almost whimsical intro, which is offset again by the harder edge vocals, but it works exceedingly well. It’s a very laid back track, accented with some very subtle piano and guitar. “The Side You Never Get to See” is a more upbeat track, which reminds me a bit of Nick Cave and at first I wasn’t too keen on it, but have to admit it’s grown on me. Finally the track to round off the album “Bad Bone”. It’s a nice track, which kept threatening to end on a cliff hanger, so it kind of keeps the anticipation building, which I’m not sure is the best way to end an album, but it’s still a great track.

Conclusion : A wonderfully atmospheric album with a great canvas of lush sounds. Again another fantastic release from the Epitaph stable and a band I will be sure to follow very closely in the future.