FRAMES

Oceansize is a relatively new band out of the depths of the UK that have been dominating my playlists for quite a few weeks now. They seem to be gaining a small, but ever-growing fan base now and I can only hope they eventually gain the attention they deserve. They've released two albums before this one, Effloresce and Everyone Into Position, each of which I consider to be excellent efforts. Now they have just released Frames, which honestly, may perhaps be the best album of them all. They seem to have found their own sound, combining many elements from a variety of different genres. Excellent 3-part guitar harmonies and epic build ups comparable to post-rock acts such as Explosions in the Sky or Godspeed You! Black Emperor, are common among the works of Oceansize. Not only that, but the songs are immersed in emotion and melodic hooks that could rival those of Porcupine Tree. Ranging from dark and melancholy, to intense, anthemic, and epic, Oceansize are on their way to becoming one of the greatest progressive rock acts of the decade.

In comparison to Everyone Into Position, Frames is equally strong if not better. It wields all the same psychedelic aspects and continues with more tightly structured tunes and great melodies. So what's different? For one thing there's a greater feeling of confidence. Though some of the songs could easily get the attention of an every day pop/rock listener, it doesn't feel as if they are trying to. Everyone Into Position almost had a feeling that they were aiming for commercial success. Frames is completely independent.

Normally I wouldn't review each song on its own because I feel albums should be listened to as a whole, however, I will make an exception for this album. It is meant to be listened as an album, but I also feel each song is so strong on its own that it must be reviewed individually.

It all starts with the simple piano melody of "Commemorative 9/11 T-Shirt" (at least I think it's a piano), marking the beginning of an epic, haunting journey entirely in 11/8. Eventually the drums kick in and one can already tell that Mark Heron is on his path to becoming one of the greatest drummers of the generation alongside Gavin Harrison and Mike Portnoy. His style is very improvisational and uses a great amount of variety, jazzy at times, metallic and explosive at others. The song goes on for over 5 minutes before any sign of metal distortion, but it doesn't drag the slightest bit. It just builds and builds until reaching it's epic finale in which Tool-like riffs with an explosive guitar solo concludes. It's quite intense and I can't help but feel the need to destroy stuff (or drive incredibly fast) when I hear it. One of those songs that just gives you goosebumps if you know what i mean.

Immediately following is the song Oceansize chose to be the single on this album, "Unfamiliar". It doesn't surprise me they'd pick this song considering the indie-rock vibe it has to it with the vocal style and arpeggiated pedal-ridden guitar. That doesn't necessarily mean this song is weaker than the others, on the contrary it's one of the best songs on the album. Very easy to sing along to and a real headbanger. Both melodic and complex, "Unfamiliar" bombards the listener with pounding riffs and great guitar harmonies. After the first two monumental tracks I couldn't imagine the album getting much better.

Then "Trail of Fire" came along. It starts off as a very beautiful, almost symphonic piece. Despite it's seemingly simplistic and calming nature, there's an unusual amount of tricky time shifting. I still can't quite figure out half the time signatures in this song as it's almost impossible to count. Anyways, some epic 5/4 riffs ultimately build up to a climactic crescendo drenched in strings and tremolo guitar. My mouth is left open in awe after that one.

Next comes what seems to be a lot of fans' favorite, "Savant", a beautiful, melancholy ballad. So far it's the most straightforward and simple song (beginning only in 3/4, that's right still no sign 4/4!)

Everything is very well produced here with some nice processed vocals and extremely clear guitar harmonies as usual. Everything eventually ends with an incredibly moving orchestral climax, and delivers everything I hoped it would offer. The best ballad Oceansize has thought up since "Music For Nurses". Superb.

Now, like I said I'd love to review each track individually, unfortunately this is taking far too long to write! I'll finish listening to album before I finish reviewing it! The album continues with the same fashion as the first four songs, but truthfully I find a few weak moments.

"An Old Friend of the Christies", while utterly gloomy and ominous, stretches for far too long in my opinion. It raises tension and builds up to a great memorable riff, but it just takes forever, repeating the same notes for over half the song (and it's a 10 minute epic). There's just not enough variation compared to the first half of the album, and it could've been shortened by 5 minutes. What it loses due to length is made up by the heavy riffage, which is just completely awesome.

The following song is somewhat of a disappointment as well. As soon as the down-tuned opening riff began I instantly thought of Meshuggah. The main riffs are EXTREMELY Meshuggah-esque and in my opinion that's not a good thing. Though this song is the best track Meshuggah never produced, it's just too chaotic and ridiculous to fit in with the rest of the album.

Frames ends well though with it's final 10 minute epic. Keeping the main feeling of the album and combining everything that Oceansize does best, it concludes Frames as another successful Oceansize album. Overall, I would say Frames is just as good as Effloresce and Everyone Into Position with only one really weak track. If you're looking for some more conventional prog though or aren't fond of dark metal, then you might want to stay away from this album. If you're looking for some top-notch Modern/Alternative Prog (a term created by my good friend, the Prog Jester) though, then you'll want to get your hands on this. It combines everything Oceansize does best and is a great starting point for someone to get into the band. Definitely pick this one up when you get a chance. You won't regret it.

My rating: 9/10

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