Once upon a time I had a special friend named Tate. Tate and I shared many pleasures, music being one of the most enduring and enlightening.

His taste in music was a most eclectic mix of everything from bubblegum-pop to existentialist jazz, and he loved sharing it all with me. It was Tate who originally introduced me to A Fine Frenzy, and although my relationship with Tate was all too fleeting, my relationship, my adoration of A Fine Frenzy has never diminished. (A Fine Frenzy is the professional moniker of the very talented Alison Sudol and not actually an entire band.)

Her début album, One Cell In The Sea, was my top Album of the Year for 2007 and I even occasionally mention her songs in my Songs That Touch My Soul series. One Cell has become an integral component in the soundtrack of my life over the past three years. And while I have waited patiently for her to release a follow-up album, I never wearied of One Cell, so entirely enchanted have I been.

I even shared my passion with a select few, including BC's own illustrious and oh-so-discerning co-under-assistant music editor Josh Hathaway, thereby spreading my mania. And now, finally, A Fine Frenzy is releasing a sophomore album, Bomb In A Birdcage. After so much patient pining, the question was always going to be, “Would I love the second album as much as the first?” The not-so-simple answer is yes and no.

One Cell is both fresh and nostalgic. An atmospheric album with alt-folk sensibilities. A magnificent alternative singer-songwriter concoction replete with haunting melodies, nearly nude piano, with very little competing instrumentation, and raw, vulnerable lyrics. Captivating, hypnotic, lush, but still accessible to those of a mainstream musical ear.

Bomb In A Birdcage is closer to mainstream pop, with less of the singer-songwriter feel and more synthy sounds and bouncier beats. A Fine Frenzy's second album isn't a huge change of direction but more an evolution of sound. More textures, bigger sounds, more diverse instrumentation but still lush, bewitching and atmospheric – just that it's a different atmosphere.

Article Author: A.L. Harper

I'm a writer and music journalist originally from Salt Lake City, but now living in Scotland. I was a Punk/Goth in the '80s and these artistic influences have stayed with me; although a love of Chopin, chamber music, and Spanish guitar would seem to belie this. …

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