Psychic Babble - My Brother's Ears/My Sister's Eyes
Record Label: Yenta Records
Release Date: August 16th, 2011
Sometimes playing an instrument in a band and not fronting one isn't always glamorous on the surface. Some people tend to get hooked on the person belting out vocals and stage presence and forget that the piece presented in front of them is a band and that greatness is achieved as a unit of mixed talent pulling influence from many ends. When it comes to Circa Survive, Anthony Green sometimes indirectly takes front and center for some. With the release of his solo album in 2008, Green stepped out into his own workings for a minute. Three years later, the man who helped co-found Circa Survive with Green is stepping out into his own solo piece of art as well. Colin Frangicetto's project, Psychic Babble is a stunning piece of work from beginning to end. It's not what you'd expect from former This Day Forward drummer and current guitar swirler in terms of "heavy" expectations, but it's an album that carries you in its stride.
Frangicetto has taken a bit of an electronic approach to execute My Brother's Ears/My Sister's Eyes, but his incorporation of haunting vocals and layered guitar work make for quite a moving picture. The album's tracking is what makes the experience even better though. It doesn't start strong, but slowly climbs as the listener is engulfed in the duration of the ten tracks. In fact, the opening and closing numbers ("Five Fold Kiss [Don't Sleep]" and "Harper") are possibly the weakest on the album. They do their job of setting the tone, but don't expand and contract as well as "You Said It" and "Follow Your Bliss" does in their production value and architectural structuring. Like much of the great indie pop available today, Frangicetto's additions of well placed claps and tambourine for rhythmic support on "Samantha" make it an accessibly pleasing track worthy of early Beach Boys influence. The keys and organ on "Crocodile Tears" make for a very strong melody against Frangicetto's vocals.
Much of My Brother's Ears/My Sister's Eyes does tend to bleed together for the most part, but it's a wonderful blend of an experience at that. I also enjoy the way Frangicetto uses spoken word to interlude some tracks like purposely clearing white noise to get a certain point and/or thought heard throughout. He has created quite a pop gem as a solo piece with Psychic Babble's debut album. The biggest shame is that it's coming along at the end of the summer as opposed to the beginning for which its music fits more perfectly. No matter the season, no matter your opinion of Circa Survive or This Day Forward, Frangicetto's artistic abilities have reached themselves into something completely different from his past works all together with this release - and he pulls it off stunningly. Roll back the sunroof, find a a highway against the coast or a rural road somewhere at sunset and enjoy one more relaxing hour left of the bright glow of the season.
Never really been into Circa Survive but being as I trusted your reviews of Sainthood Rep's Monoculture and Manchester Orchestra's Simple Math, i'll give it a go. Playing Follow Your Bliss at the moment. It's a good track.
Never really been into Circa Survive but being as I trusted your reviews of Sainthood Rep's Monoculture and Manchester Orchestra's Simple Math, i'll give it a go. Playing Follow Your Bliss at the moment. It's a good track.
not a fan of circa!?! might wanna keep that to yourself around here ;P
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