A Fine Frenzy – Bomb in a Birdcage August 28, 2009
	1. What I Wouldn’t Do 2. New Heights 3. Electric Twist 4. Blow Away 5. Happier 6. Swan Song 7. Elements 8. The World Without 9. Bird of the Summer 10. Stood Up 11. The Beacon

A Fine Frenzy, which many have mistaken for a solo act (even wiki has!), has come back once again for another album to follow up their very beautiful debut album back in 2007. If the cover is any indication, we’re probably in for a slightly more upbeat time because of the lack of landscape in the image; this concept was prominent in both covers of One Cell in the Sea. Oh, and that’s not a very flattering picture of Ms. Sudol. But yeah, even Sudol calls A Fine Frenzy a band, not a solo act contrary to wikipedia.

What I Wouldn’t Do introduces us to the familiar: a simple, acoustic track with the usual ambient sounds from the first album. The melody is simplistic, just like the acoustic accompaniment and Sudol’s lovely voice is charming and energetic. The song picks up after the first time around and adds in some clapping in the background. This addition makes the song a lot brighter rather than just mellow. It’s a cute little opening track which I really enjoy listening to. Sudol sounds beautiful as usual and the little arrangement is cute and soothing at the same time.

A Fine Frenzy continues with their atmospheric, ambient sounds with the next track, New Heights, which again could have been from their last album. The only thing different is the guy counting in the band at the beginning. However, as usual, their arrangements are lush and very dreamy. I love what they did with Sudol’s voice and kind of doubled it with the arrangement. The melody is actually quite simple again, but it’s a very soothing simple melody. Sudol’s voice works very well with the dreamy atmosphere of this track, and almost gets buried under all the piano, guitars and whatever other effects there are. As usual, a really beautiful work with the arrangement and Sudol’s singing fits the atmosphere of the track very well.

Electric Twist is our first introduction to the most upbeat side of A Fine Frenzy. The groove of this song is fun by the addictive bass line and percussion at the beginning. Sudol’s voice rings clear over these minimalistic accompaniments and she adds a lot of personality to her singing. Her singing as usual is lively. Eventually we get some more instruments that kind of creep into the track as the accompaniment becomes fuller. My favourite part is the section at around 2:30. I love the little thing she does with the word “Twist” as she accents it at a higher pitch. The rest of the song is a bit too linear for my liking at times as the chorus section isn’t quite as clearly put out to contrast the rest of the song (and the bridge ends up being the section that stands out in the song), but it’s a cute song which I enjoy.

Following is yet another upbeat song that was chosen as the lead single for this album. Blow Away relies strongly on a basic staccato beat to push the song forward, while the melody is really disjointed. In comparison, the legato melody of the chorus is really pretty although really quite short. The song itself is really “bouncy” to listen to, despite the accompaniment not having much other than the staccato beats and some small guitar lines in the background that are barely audible over the basic beat of the song.

This next track is one of my favourites off this track. Happier starts off with a beautiful introduction before transitioning to the slightly bouncy melody of the verse which goes in and out of legato and the more accented parts of the melody. The arrangement is more typical of the band with their ambient sounds in the background and a prominent piano presence. The melody is really pretty and probably one of the most memorable melody lines off this album that I remember off the first few listens of this album.

I’ve always really liked the opening for Swan Song. It’s a really beautiful piano opneing that sets the mood for this track perfectly. While the last track was a bit of a happy track, this is a soft, calming track with Sudol singing is hushed tones over soft, delicate sounds in the accompaniment. These are one of those songs that might bore a lot of people at the beginning because not a lot happens but I find it absolutely soothing. I really like the little bridge around 2:40 where Sudol sings out a lot more and her voice is exquisite and highly emotional as she reaches slightly higher notes.

A little bit of snare marches us into Elements, where Sudol’s voice whispers us into more dreamy pieces off this song. The snare is probably one of my favourite elements of this track as it adds a bit of a punch to this track, which like a lot of the band’s songs are just really pretty. While a lot of the previous tracks stayed in a certain little “cage” of dynamics, this particular piece has no limits as it gets progressively louder its accompaniment and the pure, raw emotion Sudol emits in her vocals. Seriously stunning.

We stray from the balladry to something more upbeat with The World Without. As usual, their arrangements are beautiful (what a surprise). I’m not too fond of the burst of sound that comes in and out of the verses at times, especially when it almost buries Sudol’s voice a bit too much, but it’s interesting to listen to, especially since it comes in right when everything accents the particular note of entry. Nice melody, nice vocals, and a bit too typical of A Fine Frenzy, but it’s a nice track.

It amuses me that Bird of the Summer begins with some little flute notes that sound like birds fluttering. Anyways, yes. Lovely piano opening and more soft Sudol singing. This particular arrangement is very spring and nature-like. The simple melody emphasizes the beautiful piano and flute arrangement in the background and I personally love it. The flute is especially fabulous and played very well to add to the atmosphere of the track. It has a beautiful tone through all the trills it’s playing in the background. Beautiful.

A Fine Frenzy attempts something a bit different at the beginning of Stood Up because the sound becomes a lot darker-sounding from the guitars and bass. At the same time, they keep the slightly dreamy feel in their music, especially with the effects put on Sudol’s voice. I’m particularly fascinated by some of the beats on this track, especially when there’s this one point of the melody where it seems like the rhythms are a bit off at first (this can be heard when Sudol first comes in with the melody) where the strong beat is put on a really unconventional place. The echoes at the end are a bit distracting, and I’m not too fond of that particular section of the song, but otherwise, it’s a strong track. This is probably one of the few times we hear Sudol belt for a section of the track, although she’s under a lot of effects.

It seems fitting to end an A Fine Frenzy album with a soft track. The Beacon is like the opening — simple, with a strong focus on Sudol’s emotive and strong vocals. I’m not particularly fond of the long notes in the accompaniment, but the melody has a lovely hook, which is true for many of AFF’s tracks. Not one of my favourites off the album as the accompaniment sounds rather bland under Sudol’s voice, though.

Bomb in a Birdcage is a more upbeat version of A Fine Frenzy’s debut album, One Cell in the Sea and features a very strong performance from their lead singer-songwriter (and only known member of the band), Alison Sudol. Her voice is beautiful and fits her music perfectly and generally has a more consistent performance on this album than she did in the first album. The music, as usual, is beautiful all the way through and is very enchanting to listen through all the way through. Sudol performance with ease all through the tracks, and it’s something very refreshing to hear. I’m not 100% fond of her more beat-oriented upbeat tracks as they feel a bit too linear at times, but they’re catchy enough for me to enjoy in any case and are unique enough that they stand out on the album. All in all, I loved this album. It features strong songwriting and strong singing from Sudol and is overall like walking through some kind of fairytale.

Favourites:
Elements

Artist: A Fine Frenzy
Album: One Cell In The Sea
Release Date: July 17, 2007

1. Come On, Come Out
To brings out Sudol’s signature sound, she starts off with the bright piano sound before coming in with the main melody. I love how this song kind of sound like a bright summer day. It has that kind of fresh, bright sound with all the gorgeous atmospheric sounds and the beautiful piano accompaniment. It’s an extremely beautiful opening track with the twinkling of some of the piano lines in the background. Sudol’s voice is extremely soothing and matches with the style of the song very well. It’s a beautiful, joyful track with a lovely blend of sounds.

2. The Minnow & the Trout
“The Minnow & the Trout” doesn’t stand out as much as the opening track does. It features the piano again playing two-note progressions in the background, while there’s a light drum-rim beat in the background. Sudol’s voice is beautiful and she sings with a bit more strength on this track. The song itself is quite pretty, but it really doesn’t stand out as much as this album’s opening track, and tends to be a bit long (it’s 4 minutes and a half long). The opening track was much more interesting and much shorter. Sudol’s voice is what makes this track though, as sings beautifully and with control throughout the whole track.

3. Whisper
Switching to the acoustic guitar as the main accompaniment, “Whisper” continues with the line of mellow tracks. The solo is a bit longer as it lasts around 0:40 seconds. The melody here is a bit different, as is the way Sudol performs the opening lines of this track, with a kind of wave-like emphasis on the notes and a bit airier than I’m used to from her. I definitely enjoy this track more than the previous one as the melody brings out a different sound to the song with the fast-moving repetitive lines. The chorus brings out a smoother melody, which Sudol sometimes performs with a soft, airy sound, but she’s mostly in tune at the same time. I like how she starts belting near the end when the strings come out to go through the chorus of the song once again, although the track is a bit lengthly considering the minimal amount of content and the amount of times she goes through the chorus.

4. You Picked Me
Sudol brings in another upbeat track for this song, but she keeps her rather mellow tone at the same time. The strings play short, quick notes in the background as the drum goes away in a constant manner as the song goes on. Sudol is back in her airy voice; I personally like her the most when she starts to sing out a bit more, but her singing is still nice. The melody here isn’t quite as nice as some of the stuff I’ve heard from her, and doesn’t seem to go with the accompaniment that well. The song feels a bit cluttered, and doesn’t sound nice until she starts belting at around 2 minutes into the song. Otherwise, I don’t really care sometimes, despite the really ending of the song.

5. Rangers
“Rangers” is definitely one of my favourite tracks from the many listens that I’ve given this album. It has a beautiful, atmospheric sound from the two-note piano progressions, which kind of has an ethereal effect on the song. I have a personal love for the melody of this song, both the chorus and the verse of the song. Something about it is really rather memorable and catches my attention right away. The accompaniment is perfect for the track with the long bass notes and the constant chords from the piano. It’s a beautiful, but catchy song at the same time.

6. Almost Lover
“Almost Lover” is was got me to listen to this album in the first place. It’s a beautiful, sorrowful ballad that features minimal accompaniment and Sudol’s soulful singing. Everything about this song is just depressing, and perfectly executed. The accompaniment is mostly a few atmospheric sounds in the background, and slow-moving piano chords. Sudol’s singing displays a deep sorrow that’s perfect for this song. The song eventually adds some strings, but their entry is smoothly. The track does a slight crescendo as the song goes on. I love the bridge as Sudol starts belting with her beautiful, soulful voice.

7. Think of You
I absolutely adore Sudol’s tone at the beginning of this track, and the beautiful melody she sings. I like the slight orgel-ish sound that the background as with the light, bell tones in the background. Sudol does get a bit sharp when the chorus comes in, which distracts me from liking this track completely. The opening is perfect, but as the song, it’s not quite as pretty and her singing isn’t quite as good. The song also adds a basic drum and bass beat as the song goes on, and the song becomes more and more eventful, but the first note of the chorus doesn’t bode well with me (and other similar notes). It’s a nice track, but I don’t enjoy Sudol’s singing as much. Her belting gets a little bit out of control and it’s noticeable in her pitch.

8. Ashes and Wine
This next track is another soothing mellow track, that’s a bit typical of singer-songwriter stuff. It has a smooth melody and nice singing, mostly supported by strings playing long notes in the background and some basic piano stuff and a simple percussion beat. I do like the melody It’s still a nice track, but it really doesn’t stand out that much. I still like the track quite a bit by itself as it’s still well done and has a rather soothing sound to it.

9. Liar, Liar
I love the accordion at the beginning of this track. It brings a nice, new sound to the album, which had be lacking a bit in the past tracks. The accordion introduction is refreshing. It quickly goes to the piano and acoustic guitar after though, and I don’t really hear the accordion. I do like the bright sounds of the accompaniment. Sudol is back to the whispery vocals, but her voice is still on pitch. This is a pleasant track, and I like the brighter sound of this melody. The melody’s sound is also quite memorable and one of the tunes I do remember from my early listens of this album, although sometimes the accompaniment sounds a bit of the same thing for me. It’s still a nice track, especially the chorus of the song. I’m a bit disappointed that Sudol didn’t work the accordion into the rest of the song as well as the introduction.

10. Last of Days
We’re back to the slightly moody tracks. This song starts off with a bright sound, but some of the accidentals add a bit of a dark sound to the progression. Sudol echoes the piano introduction in a high, airy voice, but the chorus brings in a smoother melody, where she continues to sing in a breathy tone. I personally quite like the opening piano sequence and how she uses it for the verses. It makes a nice thematic sequence for the song, which makes it a bit different sounding. I’m not too fond of her breathy singing on this track though and everything other than the piano sounds a bit lacking at times. But the piano is rather cute, as is the melody of the track.

11. Lifesize
“Lifesize” brings is a much more upbeat sound with the constant piano playing throughout the song. Sudol’s melodies are still smooth, but the accompaniment brings a heavier drum beat for the track, and fulls in a fuller sound for this track. Her melodies are still rather pretty, although the progressions sound a bit like what we’ve already heard in the past. I do like the upbeat arrangement for this track as it makes the song more upbeat-sounding, despite not having much deviation from the melodies we’ve already heard on the album. I do adore the piano ending of the track with the fast-moving sequences.

12. Near to You
This next track goes back to the minimalistic accompaniment, and it’s a much brighter sound than “Almost Lover” was. Sudol’s singing is spot-on for this track, and she carries the song really well throughout the 4 minutes and a half. Her voice contains a lot of character and musicality, even with the minimal support from the piano. The chorus is beautiful, and she delivers it with a lot of emotional. I especially love the melody for the words “Near to you”, the first words of the chorus. As the bridge comes in, the guitar brings in minor sounds to change up the track a bit, and the melody follows suit. The song suddenly becomes a bit more haunting, and the song slowly changes back into the major key. This is a gorgeous, simplistic song that is done excellently.

13. Hope for the Hopeless
Here’s more mellow music, but with a more acoustic guitar accompaniment while Sudol’s breathy voice sings voice. Again, her melodies are rather pretty. The opening part is rather simple with the guitars, but stunningly effective with the soothing sounds of the accompaniment and her pretty voice. The song picks up halfway through with a constant drum beat and the use of simple electric guitars in the background. Such a beautiful track.

14. Borrowed Time
The final track of the album is probably the most different track on the album with an almost older-acoustic-guitar-song kind of vibe to it in both the guitar sound and the melody of the track. It’s a fantastic ending song as it brings a slightly different flavour to the album, which adds a bit more of an edge to her soothing music. Her singing continues to be soothing and a bit mysterious-sounding.

Overall -
Favourite Track: Rangers
Alison Sudol (aka A Fine Frenzy)’s debut album is excellent. She definitely has a talent for beautiful lyrics, arrangements and melodies. I tend to liken her music to a bright summer’s day with a slight, soothing breeze. She surely has beautiful music that I really do enjoy and a really pretty voice that delivers her music with integrity and honesty. Sudol has a beautiful talent for music and I really do enjoy all of the songs on this album. The only complaint I do have on the album (and the only reason why I kind of hesitated with the stamp; it was pretty close to getting one) is that a lot of her songs are sometimes TOO similar, and casually listening to this album sometimes makes it hard to pick out individual songs. Especially if you don’t have the affinity for these kinds of folky, soothing music, this album would probably bore you. Nevertheless, her music is absolutely beautiful and really rather soothing. I’m definitely looking forward to her album in September!