The Frames - For the Birds

Few albums are rich enough with a sense of place that they transport you to a different landscape. Engineered by famed producer Steve Albini, the Frames' fourth full-length release, For the Birds, is such an album. But instead of dropping you in Ireland, the band's home, or in any other physical location, For the Birds lures the listener to an interior terrain both familiar and remote. Without a single throwaway track, this album deftly escapes pathos, despite its focus on clichéd indie-pop themes of heartache and loss. A slow pulse-like bass line, rueful violin, mesmerizing guitar, and precise percussion underscore but never underplay Glen Hansard's stripped-bare vocals and lyrics. Hansard asks, "So what happens when the heart just stops / Stops caring for anyone?" He answers, "The hollow in your chest dries up / And you stop believing," a response dispelled as too facile by subsequent tracks. "Headlong" and "Santa Maria" nosedive into torment while "Early Bird," "Fighting on the Stairs," and "Friends and Foe" pull out. You're left in the middle of a swirl of conflicted emotions. What's remarkable is that For the Birds, rife with mental rifts and ditches, somehow convinces you that you want to stay there. --Cintra Pollack Amazon.com

Amazing Album

I've been working backwards with the Frames catalog, having been introduced to them through Glen Hansard's work with "Once" (like many others). I've yet to get a Frames album that doesn't impress. Standout tracks include Lay Me Down and Headlong. Overall, while this CD may lack some of the subtleties that mark their more recent work, it is still an amazing album, and highly reccomended. November 25, 2008

****1/2 - Looking for proven rock anthems? Look elsewhere

I only recently learned of the Frames after hearing the song Dream Awake on an iTunes radio station. I just had to buy their latest album but somehow accidentally purchased their 2001 album Burn the Maps. I wasn't especially impressed on the first listen but now find this album has quite a few gems. (It's impossible to fairly judge an album with only one listening, especially in a car). Now I think For the Birds is a more complete album than their 2005 Burn the Maps, which is itself also a great album. For the Birds is more mellow and reflective whereas Burn the Maps ads a few more guitar and commercial undertones. April 10, 2006

it's alright

Totally Cat Steven's gone indie and jamming with Andrew Kinney. January 4, 2006

Totally boring

I purchase more cd's than the average person and listen to a wide varitey of music. Because of this, I generally give each new cd 3-5 listens before making or breaking. This one, I couldn't even get through once- it was slow, nothing catchy and ultimatly just boring. July 20, 2005

awesome

When I first heard of The Frames, I was lucky enough to see them live last year opening for Damien Rice in Portland. And I was floored when the first song they played was "Friends and Foes." The power that song had still stays with me. Now one year later, and three albums of theirs later, they are still one of my favorite bands, and I was able to see them perform again almost exactly a year later. If you don't have this album, go get it! The vocals are great, the music is wonderful. March 21, 2005

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