| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Erebus
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1834 Posts |
 Posted - 08/10/2005 : 07:59:03
|
http://popmatters.com/
FRANK BLACK
Honeycomb
(Back Porch)
Rating: 4/10
US release date: 19 July 2005
UK release date: 18 July 2005
by Zeth Lundy
PopMatters Associate Music Editor
Is Honeycomb Frank Black's down payment on a member's only jacket for the Respectable Songwriter's Club? A dreary concept, indeed: Black, suppressing the fantastical urges to sing of UFOs, pong, abstract planes, and monkeys gone to heaven; Black, fitted in bowtie and tails, sharing cocktails with a new set of colleagues who traffic in classical chord structures and universal themes; Black, the chameleon whose latest ch-ch-change is less about invention than it is about conformity. Is this the final rehabilitative step in a 12-step program for artistic ordinariness? What has Frank Black done with Frank Black?
Honeycomb, recorded in just four days at Dan Penn's Nashville studio with some legendary American studio musicians (Steve Cropper, Spooner Oldham, David Hood), is being marketed as Black's first solo album since 1996's The Cult of Ray. Not exactly true, as he's released six albums in the interim with his band the Catholics: raw, garage-ready rockers that have further distanced him from the alternative movement he helped forge with Pixies in the late '80s. Black's solo career, following the 1993 demise of Pixies, was full of promise at its inception. His 1993 self-titled debut wasn't just one of its decade's greatest rock records, but it arguably trumped any single Pixies album based on its songs and immediacy alone. Teenager of the Year (1994) proved that his way around a hook was second nature. But as he continued to knock out albums with the Catholics (fast-and-loose affairs straight to two-track tape), Black seemingly cut against the grain of his own idiosyncrasies, squeezing himself into a cubbyhole of commonness. Honeycomb makes good on this prolonged promise of reverse evolution, this complacent stumble deep into the recesses of normalcy prophesized by Dog in the Sand (2001) and Show Me Your Tears (2003) -- but why? Why support one's arms on the well-worn crutches of classic rock? For maturation's sake?
If we agree, for argumentative purposes, that Black has matured as a lyricist since he was known as Black Francis (matured in the sense that he no longer relies on speculative or peculiar abstractions to get himself through a song), then Honeycomb exhibits a deft grasp on more adult sensibilities. Though he still relies (successfully) on metaphor and omen-rich imagery, Black surveys emotional devastations like a helicopter pilot whose map makes no sense, peeling open scabs of old wounds to see if they still hurt like they used to. "I had a castle / I had no hassles / Now tears are tassels," he sings in "My Life Is in Storage", which represents Honeycomb's major theme of uncomfortable transition and, furthermore, the dread of self-analysis while stuck in limbo -- a theme he already began exploring on earlier songs like "Los Angeles" and "(I Want to Live on an) Abstract Plain". His choices of cover songs (specifically, Dan Penn's "Dark End of the Street" and "Song of the Shrimp", a tune best known from Elvis Presley's Girls Girls Girls movie) reflect this premise accurately. While they may be thematic fits, a song like "Dark End of the Street" is, admittedly, a little out of Black's range -- he finds its vulnerability and hopelessness in the upper register of his voice, but that doesn't mean he sells it.
Many are already hailing Honeycomb as Black's Dylan record (its tongue-in-cheek working title was Black on Blonde), but the two are like apples and oranges. If Honeycomb exercises Dylanisms, they're the indulgent kind: stifled melodic repetitions, gaggles of verses, rushed takes that make brilliant musicians appear barely competent. In fact, one of the album's most aggravating shortcomings is its unexceptional sound: we're offered fleeting glimpses of the studio musicians' greatness, but the production is so flat and slick that their individual characters are rendered sterile. The overlong instrumental introduction to "Selkie Bride" is so expressionless, the band so woefully out-of-sync in "Lone Child", it's as if elevator music is attempting to mimic Black's trademark restless chord changes. Where Dylan used his Nashville experience to blow open the consciousness of his songs, Black's intention is merely to find a decent retirement home for some of his best ideas. Honeycomb is lonely music -- don't expect visitors.
— 10 August 2005
|
|
|
kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2005 : 08:07:36
|
Wow! Thanks for posting.
Sometimes, no matter how shitty things get, you have to just do a little dance. - Frank
|
 |
|
|
Joey Joe Jo Jr. Chabadoo
* Dog in the Sand *
1066 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2005 : 08:12:15
|
Interesting to read an non-conventional review.
Frank's work as every piece of valuable work has to be misunderstood to have a meaning!!!!
 |
|
|
|
Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2005 : 12:03:33
|
| A skeptical review, but at least it's thoughfully written, and dos'nt just rubbish the album! |
|
|
|
two reelers
* Dog in the Sand *
Austria
1029 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2005 : 10:45:15
|
the best review so far, i think. very, very thoughtful, not just the usual "nashville cats... mellow album...divorce...courtny love...blabla" stuff you read everywhere else.
p.s.: what does "stuck in limbo" mean ?
I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band |
|
|
|
Daisy Girl
~ Abstract Brain ~
Belize
5305 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2005 : 16:14:35
|
secretly i was hoping a review by a publication named "pop matters" was bad... cuz if they thought it was good and poppy... then... there would be some thing wrong.
ohh and ps pop matters members only jackets are cool!
"I ain't goin to be what I ain't" |
|
|
|
Jason
* Dog in the Sand *
1446 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2005 : 19:38:27
|
Though I can't agree with this review and I think the reviewer doesn't really "get" Frank (though I guess we'd almost always say that in reponse to a negative review of something we like), Pop Matters is one of the better internet music review sites. They're also a little more diverse than their name suggests.
That "scabs" remark in the review is gross, though. |
Edited by - Jason on 08/11/2005 19:39:01 |
|
|
|
darkoutsider
= Cult of Ray =
USA
285 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2005 : 15:13:54
|
Although I love the album, I do agree with this cat a little. The production on Honeycomb could've been better, it's probably because it was rushed. The musicians on there could of had more chances to shine and Frank's voice could've been brought out more. But I still love it. Every song is awesome. Catchy and insightful. I'm still listening to the bastard.
"Strange Goodbye" is a song I really relate too, right now in my life anyway. Thanks Frank.
~*I just want attention.*~ |
|
|
|
rudebody
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
11 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2005 : 18:31:58
|
quote:
p.s.: what does "stuck in limbo" mean ?
Hi Two Reelers, when you're 'stuck in limbo' you're kind of trapped with no way forward and no way back. The meaning, I think, comes from Limbo Dancing which is a kind of party thing where people try to walk bent over backwards under a very low horizontal cane without falling on their ass. Probably not a great explanation but basically it means you're lacking direction, don't know which way to go, and even if you do know, can't find a way to get there.
As for the reviewer they remind me of the friend who turned me onto FB in the first place (forever grateful!) He was heavily into the Pixies and FB's first albums but never really bought the Catholic's stuff. When I met him he used to play me tracks from 'Frank Black' and 'TOTY' and I gradually became convinced of their genius. The first record I bought was 'SMYT' and coming from a Dylan/Waits/Young background I dug it immediately and still do. I think Honeycomb is even better. The musicianship is spectacular precisely because of the restraint shown. As with all of the FB records I've now heard, there's so much going on in each song that you hear more with each listen and I think in this respect Honeycomb is the most subtle so far. It may not be groundbreaking (although I don't think I've ever heard a song like the title track before) and it's probably of no relevance to the pop world but as far as meaningful, soulful, timeless music goes it's up there with the best.
But then again, I am going through some major heartbreak at the moment and may therefore be slightly biased.
To Darkoutsider, I'm with you on 'Strange Goodbye.' When I first heard it, before reading the sleeve, I thought it must be one of the cover songs - it sounds like a standard classic.
(Apologies for such a long post.)
You're an idiot babe,
It's a wonder you even know how to breathe |
|
|
|
VoVat
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
9168 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2005 : 20:13:52
|
Actually, Limbo comes from Catholic theology, where it's a place for unbaptized souls who don't deserve Hell. According to dictionary.com, the other meaning of "limbo" is probably unrelated.
I was all out of luck, like a duck that died. I was all out of juice, like a moose denied. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
PopMatters on Honeycomb
