Album, Single and EP Reviews


 

 

  A Briefcase Full of Suspicion by The Truth About Frank


A Briefcase Full of Suspicion cover art

Artist: The Truth About Frank
Title: A Briefcase Full of Suspicion
Catalogue Number: LYF CD001
Review Format: CD
Release Year: 2008



The Truth About Frank are from Leeds and their music is described as "experimental/ambient/industrial". Little chance of uncovering a potential hit single in there then…

When you step outside the musical mainstream, you have to adapt your listening habits. The songs - if that is an appropriate description - don't really seem to work when played in the comfort of your own home. However, playing this mini album in the car did seem to bring things in focus. "Each Time" sounded like a death metal band stuck in a loop whilst the rear differential on an Audi Quattro fails. Honestly, the underlying samples are exactly the sound of a differential that has lost all its transmission fluid. Things go altogether more ambient with "Feeding the Demons" - it just sounded strange in the home but felt altogether more unsettling in the car driving along a section of urban motorway. Sort of like it was happening around you rather then you were consciously listening to it.

Now comes the hard bit. How do you rate this mini album? It's not really a collection of songs; it's more like a soundscape with assorted samples assembled into an offbeat soundtrack to some dystopian nightmare. The first thing to get out of the way is to make it clear that this is not bad or unlistenable. I'm just not sure what it is for. There are no melodies that stick in your mind, no great instrumental virtuosity that will get you to pick up that air guitar and certainly no vocals at all. The songs did evoke emotions - much as David Lynch's movie "Eraserhead" does to me - so it must be music but I suspect it will have a limited appeal. You will either like this sort of thing or you won't.


www.myspace.com/truthaboutfrank
Reviewer:
Review Date: September 11 2008