lambchops's Full Review: Marvin the Album by Frente!
I must admit it. I find the use of punctuation in a band’s name and often album and song titles to be incredibly pretentious and utterly ridiculous. The worst of the lot is the exclamation point. If only bands would follow the same oft unwritten rule that if something is written well there is no reason for the extraneous mark.
Australian twee-folk band Frente! skipped that grammar lesson entirely as evidenced by their name. Fortunately that tendency does not (thank a god) extend to the song titles. Formed in 1991, Frente! (boy am I going to get tired of typing that) is an abstract band. Their sound is on the surface light and fluffy (a function of both their music and lead singer Angie Hart’s child-like voice) but just beneath the most obvious level it is moderately striking and entertaining.
Fronted by aforementioned singer Hart and rounded out by a trio of blokes (guitarist Simon Austin, drummer Alastair Barden), Frente! arrived on the music scene with their debut album in 1994. Mammoth’s release of Marvin the Album was actually a re-release of the 1992 White album by the same name. The music is quaint and sweet, though by the same token I think that is on many levels all it has to offer. I like Marvin the Album—I really do—but the formulaic arrangements do tend to get old after a while. Simply put, Marvin the Album is a fine album—nothing more, nothing less. I suppose there are worse fates for an album than being mildly compelling.
Marvin the Album isn’t in the least bit offensive. It is actually rather languid and provides nice unobtrusive background filler. As little as the album impresses, it is a it disappointing that it doesn’t even get wound up until the second song Labour of Love. Boasting sparkly and bubbly acoustic guitars and a charming melody, it is one of the highpoints of the album. In fact, Hart’s performance here reminds me specifically of Jewel (when she’s good). Plus, I can’t help but enjoy the piccolo—I don’t know when the last time I heard a piccolo in a pop song was.
The album trots along at a decent pace. It occasionally strikes me, but mostly just goes in one ear and out the other. With a sparse acoustic guitars, an upbeat pace, and a fantastic performance from Hart Most Beautiful proves gorgeous. Reflect is striking for another reason. Still upbeat, I appreciate the piano/guitar/light percussion combination. In addition, the melody builds nicely to the chorus. It’s the perfect little pop song. There are a few other slightly better songs, most specifically Explode and Dangerous.
The strangest but best part of the debut from Frente! is strangely enough a cover. There’s no question that the version of New Order’s classic Bizarre Love Triangle is the most evocative and special part of Marvin the Album. First off, I love the song. It, along with True Faith, happens to be my favorite New Order song of pretty much all time. Instead of remaking it in the same vein, Frente! smartly makes it a modest and acoustic sort of thing. It is in the end brilliant and without any question at all one of the (if not THE) best parts of this album.
There are many things about Marvin the Album to like. The songs are cute and the arrangements are sweet. Unfortunately “cute and sweet” are never enough for me. Frente! has made a fine attempt here. It’s not a great album, but it’s not a horrid album either. My suggestion would be to check out similar yet more creatively interesting artists like Belle & Sebastian before even considering Frente!
…and that’s more than enough use of the exclamation point for a good five years…
Rating: 3/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Girl
02. Labour of Love
03. Ordinary Angels
04. Lonely
05. Most Beautiful
06. Cuscutlan
07. Pretty Friend
08. No Time
09. Reflect
10. Explode
11. Accidently Kelly Street
12. See/Believe
13. Dangerous
14. Bizarre Love Triangle
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