Frog Eyes

Tears of the Valedictorian

(Absolutely Kosher)

Record Review by Marcel Feldmar

Strange sonic surreal indie-rock that calls to mind bands like Grandaddy & Sparklehorse, and maybe even Built To Spill, but maybe if there were more drugs. Tripped out and kooky blurs of sound that hit hard and fast or sometimes slow and swaggering. Crazy piano rolls scattered across fast beat drums and noise tuned guitar as the vocals hit fast and furious over, like some insane sea shanty pirate adventure. Modest Mouse does showtunes to a Syd Barrett penned adaptation of a Gilbert & Sullivan rock opera. I’m almost sure I know what I’m trying to say right there… almost. There is a story here being told in a way only these Frog Eyes can tell it. There is no stretching of the wool, there are no airbrushed moments, there are only songs of honesty, and that can be hideous and beautiful. Frontman Carey Mercer cracks and whispers his vocals into softness and then pushes them up into dynamic shouts. Melanie Campbell on the drums pushes the songs with a velvet underground intensity, and the frantic keyboards that flail in rhythmic certainty from Spencer Krug just hit like wonder. Held up with Michael Rak’s on the floor bass playing and the guitar cuts it all up and places it together.