Sound: A Fine Frenzy's first album, One cell in the Sea (2007) had a soft sound, with pianos and mandolins and soothing guitars, the most exciting sound on the album was probably the introduction to You Picked Me, with fade-in drums and keys. This is not at all the case with her sophomore album, Bomb in a Birdcage released in September of 2009. So much change has taken place over two years. Her sound now is powerful, it finds a way to be absorbed into your skin and swirl around and take control of your emotions. Along with her traditional pop sound, she added more guitars, thicker drums, more effects, more keys, and more vocal power, especially in Stood Up (tr.10). My conclusion: It's a deep album. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Alison is one of the most gifted writers I have ever known. Her lyrics together sometimes make no sense. Example: Swan Song (tr.4)
Wretched look at me I've lost it
Melting on the tables
In parking lots and markets.
I can't help it, love you like a starfish
Loves the salty water
Like a selfish daughter.
And: Elements (tr.7)
You showed up like a hurricane
All hungry-eyed and weather stained
The clock forgets to tick and I the same.
But when you look at each line and visualize, you can see the message. A Fine Frenzy makes me think about what she's saying, and together, her words are stunning. Absolutely outstanding.
The Lyrics and the music match together perfectly. She gets the message of a song and matches it with the message in the music. She did much better with this than her first album. She has really improved in the two years between the releases. It most definately gets a 10/10. // 10
Impression: To me, A Fine Frenzy is similar to The Pierces, Josiah Leming, Ingrid Michaelson and Lily Allen. All these artists either have a quirky sound or very strong, brilliant and intelligent lyrics. A Fine Frenzy is the perfect combination of both. If you love any of the artists mentioned, I'm sure you will love A Fine Frenzy; and vise versa.
The songs that I believe are most impressive:
01. New Heights
02. Electric Twist
03. Happier
04. Swan Song
05. Elements
06. Stood Up
They are so powerful and they show off what Ms. Sudol has to offer in her music. They display the best combination of music and sound.
I love the fact that Sudol gives her all in her music, and you can tell. It is worth purchasing this album. If this album was stolen or lost, I would go to great leangths to purchase a new copy. // 9
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