A Frames – Black Forest (Sub Pop Records 2005)

by Dave Sharp on Jan 18^th, 2010

Reviewer: Cris McFarlin

Having put out several full lengths and 7”s previously, the A Frames apparently knew exactly what direction to take Black Forest, and were not afraid to take us there. That being said, do not expect a sleek, glossed-over trip. For those not familiar with the A Frames, they make noise, not music. They make noise that is music. Experimental music. It is raw, edgy, and dark. And at times seemingly without direction or purpose. Yet they still find ways to tie the loose ends together. And sometimes, the ends are left undone. This album is not about completion, or beauty, or verse chorus versus transitions. It is about moody low sounds that are somehow very relevant to our lives. It is about something hauntingly strange. It is about the A Frames. Don’t ask me to explain it, nothing I can say will make you understand. It isn’t Sullivan’s incoherent lyrical mumblings about political and economical prowess that sound more like a John Steinbeck novel than the words of an indie front man. It isn’t the way the textured layers of guitar work build upon themselves, or the disturbing smoothness of the bass. But it is the way all these are rounded out by the continual commotion that makes each one seem no more out of place than does the abstract packaging. It is the way this album lingers in the air, thick as smoke. It is the essence of the A Frames.

Recommended if you like the early releases by Starflyer 59. Recommended tracks: Death Train, Flies, and Eva Braun.