Always a sense of trepidation reviewing one of Frownland's albums. I don't think there's been one if his I've listened to yet that I have enjoyed, but something tells me that maybe this could be the one. He tells me it's one of his most accessible (not sure if that's saying anything) so I guess if I'm ever going to appreciate or get into his music, this may be my best chance.
The Beatloads – The Beatloads (Frownland) – 2016
Well it wouldn't be a Frownland album if there wasn't at least one superlong track on it, and the opener clocks in at just over eleven minutes. Sounds like he's setting his table to a background of dark synthy music, maybe moving the tongs over by the fireplace now? This goes by the title of “Induction trance”, and I can see the idea in the almost hypnotic and basically unchanging (so far anyway) synth, with what I assume is percussion going on there, some more synthy sounds coming in, maybe something like a digital signal processor being used? Damned if I know. I suppose that synth would be called a drone, but the percussion just sounds like someone falling over things in the background, no rhythm that I can see to it. Honestly, if it wasn't for that synth I would have stopped listening to this about ten minutes ago. I still don't really like it, but I don't quite hate it, which, given my track record with Frownland is actually saying something.
Track two is “I'm a bleeder”, and features what sounds like someone drunk hitting a drum every second or so. Hitting the guitar now too, but nothing vaguely resembling a tune that I can hear. I suppose this is meant to be a Beefheart tribute or something, but it doesn't work for me. Some nice acoustic guitar but it seems to go out of tune? Yeah, it's just gone now. Some sort of mad guitar thing there near the end, not bad but I feel this is going to be another long heavy trudge to the end with very little light coming through from that very distant tunnel. The best thing I can say about “Landing” is that it's short. Mercifully short. As is “Siamese twins and an obese lady”, however “Elephant housing” isn't. They seem to be using some sort of echo or reverb or some damn thing, but it just drives spikes into my head and I can't wait till it finishes. I mean the whole album. I can't even muster the strength or interest to write anything about this, not even anything remotely humourous. I'm just holding out for another, what, nineteen minutes or so.
W have a trumpet screeching in “... And the dead goose laid a dozen eggs”, with some more hitting of drums, seems quite haphazard. Maybe you can call this free jazz? Who knows? If I have a favourite track (I don't) it would be “Delivery man” merely for the length, a blissfully short thirty-two seconds, but then the Joker jumps out of the box and hits me upside the head, as we have another eleven-minuter to close, just in case I was thinking I was getting off lightly. It's called “Exit trance”, so I guess is meant to be related to the opening track, and it kind of is, with one instrument, this time a guitar, carrying the main tune. It's actually, dare I say it, quite good! Bit of a surprise there right at the end.
Track listing and Ratings (Are we really gonna do this?)
1. Induction trance
2. I'm a bleeder
3. Landing
4. Siamese twins and an obese lady
5. Elephant housing
6. ... And the dead goose laid a dozen eggs
7. Delivery man
8. Exit trance
I hate reviewing Frownland's music, because I hate putting down anyone's efforts, but there's nothing I can get hold of here, no sort of saving grace if you will. It just all sounds terrible to me, and I'm not going to go into a long diatribe about how bad it sounds. You know, f
uck it: I hate to have absolutely nothing good to say about any album. Let's see: the synth that underpinned most of track one was excellent and the guitar that was the main instrument in the closing track was also very effective. But I have to make a decision now, and it is this: I'm not going to review any more albums by Frownland. It's wasting my time, and his, and it's just simply not fun. I like to enjoy what I'm listening to, and with Frown's music I never do. So please don't rec me any more of your albums, Frown: it's nothing personal, in fact it kind of is, as I'm sorry to keep disappointing you and crapping on your music, and I just don't want to do that any more. So let's just leave it there, yeah? I'll never get into your music, and I'm done trying, for all our sakes.