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frank_black_francis
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
895 Posts |
 Posted - 09/14/2003 : 16:54:00
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Frank Black and the Catholics: Show Me Your Tears
(Cook)
Betty Clarke
Friday August 29, 2003
The Guardian
Buy Show Me Your Tears at Amazon.co.uk
The godfather of US indie rock has got the blues, seeking solace in country and purging himself of the evils of womankind. Memories haunt him as he picks at his open wounds, recounting the loves he has lost.
Black's relationship with his amorous past is complicated. Whether the frustration in Nadine is fuelled by a new affair or past desire is never clear, but the sassy, mod bassline and Black's low, passionate voice conjure up a unbearable tension.
Massif Centrale's sad solitude is tempered by uncomfortable voyeurism. The lyrics are dark, but Black lets lashes of pedal steel guitar and sprightly banjo wash over his interminable misery; lovely melodies, lightened by trombone and saxophone, rise and fall.
Spiky rock'n'roll chords slash the jangly hopefulness of Jaina Blues as Black stamps on his words, all ambivalence painfully shattered.
Rating: 4/5 stars |
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