Frames - The Cost

  by Benjamin Howarth

published: 25 / 1 / 2007

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Loath as I am to admit it, I do understand why so many of the bands I like never make it. I buy a disproportionate amount of records - although I never set out to collect records, I still ended up with something you couldn’t call anything other than a collection. And even weirdoes like me miss most of the music that is out there. Vast numbers seem to be released every week - well meaning indie albums, alt country, sensitive singer songwriters, art-rock, post rock, critically acclaimed electronica that I won’t be bothering with… and that’s before we even think about albums which might be vaguely commercial. Failure is so clearly the norm, you wonder why anyone bothers at all. But when you hear an album like ‘The Cost’ you remember. This is a stunning album, from a band that - for no good reason - has never had anything vaguely resembling a hit, despite being at it for over 15 years. And, they haven’t given up trying to be populist! This is an album anybody would like. Some people think Celine Dion’s ritual slaughtering of ballads is passionate, but Glen Hansard is the real deal, right from the I-wouldn’t-be-doing-anything-if-I-wasn’t-singing school of vocalists. Like his spiritual brothers (but if the parents end up in a home, Glen will be the brother who doesn’t chip in for maintenance) Chris Martin and Gary Lightbody, his lyrics don’t mean very much, but his singing makes them mean whatever you want. It's his show, in all honesty, and he is a great bandleader. The Frames have, in recent years, found a formulae that works, and they haven’t changed it. On previous album ‘Burn The Maps’, they took raw, gentle folk rock and added lush strings, big choruses and Joshua Tree style crescendos. It worked, and they simply improve it here. The strings are magnificent, the guitar riffs incisive, and the development of the music instinctive. This is a band who know each other backwards, and sound totally natural. They sound as if they have been playing these songs their whole lives. Akhough their time working with Steve Albini is still an influence, particularly in the drumming, the band aren’t afraid to layer songs into huge climaxes. These exhilarating moments make the album, and there is one in at least 8 of the 10 tracks. I was going to pick out high points, but this is an album with shining moment after shining moment. ‘The Cost’ is a classic. In a fair world, it would be a huge hit. File it next to ‘A Rush of Blood To The Head’, ‘The Joshua Tree’ and ‘Automatic For The People’. Don’t keep this band a secret - they’ve been that for too long. Play this album loud and play it often. It is simply exceptional - and though it hasn’t adopted a new approach in any way, it has reminded me what I really love about music.

Track Listing:-

1 Song For Someone
2 Falling Slowly
3 People Get Ready
4 Rise
5 Mind's Made Up
6 Sad Songs
7 The Cost
8 True
9 The Side You Never Get To See
10 Bad Bone

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