Frail Body : "Artificial Bouquet"

This band has more hype going into this album than Infant Island, who is the screamo band to beat so far this year. To which Frail Body fans might cry, about music not being a competition. Yes, it is. Bands are competing for the free time I have to listen to music, which is a finite commodity. I like the sounds this Illinois-based band is bringing to the table, but the production is rawer and not as spacious as Infant Island's. There is also a fair amount of chaos to this band's explosive nature. The screamed vocals are another abrasive sonic texture, they are not as purposeful as many bands in the genre. This causes the second song to not hit as hard. 

"Critique Programme" has a more polished mix and an arrangement that makes the most of their atmospheric underpinnings. The vocals sound like a child with rabies attacking the cat who gave it to him. The overall dynamics of the song work well as they expand and retract. There is less of a black metal influence in this album than I expected going into it. "Devotion" makes more of an impact as it's more melodic and the singer goes for a more hardcore punk shout rather than the shrieking that dominated the first three songs. More bands could take notes on this kind of restraint.  The album begins a tug of war-in order to find balance. Where "Monolith" lashes out like a petulant child, there is more thought, nuance, and dynamics to "Refrain" which shows how effective restraint can be for them as a band. 

The more hardcore side of their equation that works off equal doses of tension and atmosphere in order to make the climaxes pay off is where this band shines. The temptation to lash at out more of a frantic punk speed becomes to great to resist in places. Some of the more organic guitar sounds on this album work really well, though it's when things slow down that you can pay attention to them rather than have them rushed by you. The calm before the storm instrumental that is "Another Year Removed" might have worked better if those ideas were used to keep some of the album's more spastic songs in check. The first two and a half minutes of the last song feel obnoxious, though the simmer-down sound are also not too song-oriented, but they are capable of ambiance. So not as demanding of my time as Infant Island, but fans of Screamo will appreciate it. Out on Deathwish inc. 

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