p L A N 9 p R E S E N T S !
ARTiST.......: Frank And Earnest
ALBUM........: Old Francis
GENRE........: Punk
LABEL........: Bermuda
YEAR.........: 2010
RiP.DATE.....: 2010-11-20
STORE.DATE...: 2010-00-00
SOURCE.......: CD
GRABBER......: EAC V0.99 prebeta 4
ENCODER......: LAME v3.97
SiZE.........: 39.76 megs
BiTRATE......: 231 kbps avg
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1. Addictionary 2:40
2. Stick A Fork In Me, I'm Done 3:32
3. Political Song For Ben Hassenger To Sing 0:54
4. '87 3:15
5. Red And Black 3:00
6. BFF 3:05
7. Clever 2:57
8. Mr. Holland's Otis 3:19
------
22:42
Every once in a while you get a CD that comes out of nowhere and
blows you away. Because theyre not be the biggest name around,
they may not be at the tip of your tongue since not everyones
talking about them; but somewhere, deep in your memory, that band
always remains. Theres always an itch to go back and replay it
over, over and over again until it becomes an all time favourite.
Last year I had two of those types of records: Over Stars and
Gutters Consider This Your Curse and Friends of Friends Deep
Search; and both ended up in my year end lists.
Frank and Earnests Old Francis may not have the intensity of
Friends of Friends or the raw power of Over Stars and Gutters but
so far this year, Old Francis is the album that has come out of
nowhere to knock my socks off.
Gruff and worn, Frank and Earnest may be from Michigan but would
fit right in with the bearded punks that take over Gainesville
every year at The Fest. This is good stuff melodic without being
poppy, catchy without being irritating, energetic without being
forced. The eight songs on Old Francis are straight forward
punk-pop but theres something unique in its delivery that
enables them to stand up above the crowd and avoid becoming
another nameless face in an ever growing scene.
The EP starts off with the more punk oriented songs like
Addictionary, an homage to drinking and partying like all their
Fat and Vagrant heroes, and Political Songs For Ben Hassenger to
Sing, which is simultaneously the fastest and catchiest song on
the EP (with one of the best outro-sing alongs of the year). But
unlike most bands, Frank and Earnest, keep it fresh and dont
simply regurgitate the same tired formula song after song. The
trio of vocalists alternate lead duties, each giving a unique spin
in their delivery. Whether its the Hot Water Music-esque BFF or
the slower, Lucero-like Clever, Frank and Earnest mixes it up
while never delivering something so jarring that its unnerving.
Instead, it all just works.
Lyrically, the band offers a nice tongue-in-check lyrical style in
such a way that youll often be reaching for the lyric booklet to
memorize your favourite turn of phrase. Their clever in their
wording, like renaming Mr. Hollands Opus to Mr. Hollands
Otis and their neologistic use of the word Addictionary. These
turns of phrases such as Clevers opening verse of So I flew
away/ To a place no one goes to with signs posted Population:
Just You or Additionarys bridge of Beer for breakfast, beer for
lunch, reprehensible dinner / If this is hell, then let me sin,
let me sin, let me sin shows a band having fun but avoiding
cheap comical gimmickry.
Old Francis comes through as a pleasant surprise. A deservedly
strong Midwestern punk album for sure, Old Francis is an album
that will surely entice most listeners to hit the repeat button
again and again, I know I sure have.
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