(Photo Credit - Jackie Lee Young)
Advance Review - Frankie Cosmos - Close it Quietly
I'm extremely excited for Frankie Cosmos' second release of the year, Greta Kline and company released their Haunted Items EP in March. Close it Quietly is a behemoth of an album, with over 20 tracks listed. But with each track having high listenability, the album is just downright enjoyable. That said, let's get to it!
"Moonsea" kicks Close it Quietly with the upbeat blend of alt/indie that you've come to know and love from Cosmos. The vocals are tight, the guitars are in the indie tradition, and the song moves well and fast. "So Blue" features some dynamic bass guitar along with great vocals and guitars that just worked. The bass line really held this song down, (which as a former bassist, you know I was into).
"A Joke" sticks out to me immediately because of the timing. The keys shift in and out in a way that you think is off, but it totally isn't. They play off the vocals, guitar, and drums perfectly. It's so unique a melody though I simply sat back and appreciated all that was going on throughout the track. The highlight of "Rings on a Tree" for me was the guitar work throughout. It melded perfectly with the vocals and had me hook, line, and sinker.
"Windows" comes through with dynamic percussion throughout. The drums almost speak in the track, they are so prominent. I also was a big fan of the guitar and key work on this one. Kline's vocals were stellar as always. It was another favorite. "Never Would" is a bit of a slower track, with light guitar and a prominent drum line. Kline's vocals lead the way here. It certainly changes the pace from the more traditional indie vibe that is present throughout the other tracks. I loved it.
Another track that immediately jumped off the record for me was "Last Season's Textures". The guitar is ripping right from the start. It has great movements through the song, making it feel much longer than 2:00 minutes long (in a good way). "UFO" is a great track about a relationship turned sour. The music is fantastic, particularly the guitar. Though Kline's vocals get drowned a bit by the powerful guitar in some spots. It's still a strong addition nonetheless.
Perhaps my favorite track on the album is "Did You Find" because of the highs on guitar. The melody is absolutely gripping and there is a perfectly time pronounced bass line that just had me. It's a short one clocking in at just over a minute, but it shows you what an artist can do with a little space and a lot of sound. "With Great Purpose" is a nice acoustic track to mix things up from Frankie Cosmos' typical indie guitar sound, it evokes comparisons to Kline's work on the Haunted Items EP released earlier this year.
Wrapping it all up, Close it Quietly is another strong album from Frankie Cosmos. There is a lot to love here both literally, with the amount of tracks on the album and figuratively, with how many great songs there are. Frankie Cosmos is carving out a prominent space in indie music. If you aren't aboard the train now, you better get on soon because it is fast moving. This album is absolutely special.
Tracks I'd Recommend Immediately - "So Blue", "A Joke", "Windows", "Never Would", "Last Season's Textures", "UFO", "Did You Find", and "With Great Purpose"
Rating - 4.5/5