Monday, June 4, 2012

2012 Favorites: Frankie Rose-Interstellar


Frankie Rose, member of several bands (Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts, Dum Dum Girls), released her second solo full length this past February.  Beginning with the S/T, a drone based track to start that explodes about a minute in expanding into a furiously driven beat with pounding drums and a cooing Rose layered over them. Following this “Know Me” begins with a Cut Copy guitar line and quickly takes off and begins to develop a trademark hazy sound that accompanies the entire album. 

The poppiest song “Daylight/Sky” is coupled with the most sublime “Pair of Wings;” these two tracks form a distinct centerpiece that is truly majestic.  Pair of Wings opens with a shoegaze style organ that lazily moves along with Rose’s voice singing pure poetry: “All that I want is a pair of wings to fly, Into the blue of the wide open sky, Show me your scars I’ll show you mine, Perched along the city on a pair of power lines, On clouds I’ll sing and dance, I just might fall but I’ll take that chance.” As the song grows the organs are multiplied and increased in volume perfectly as those lines are repeated with an ever expanding intensity.  The emotion emanating from this song is staggering as the trust and willingness given by Rose feels sacred, pure; a promise to share secrets, old wounds, and to recover from them in a magical place.

The rest of the album creeps out from the first half, always with a pounding drum driving the songs and a twinkling guitar drifting over the mix.  “Moon in My Mind” and “The Fall” close the album down, each reverb soaked and culminate in a terrific ending to a terrific album and one of the best I've heard this year.

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