FRANCES THE MUTE

I didn't think I'd be into newer progressive rock, as I was obstinately stuck in the '70s. And the fact that Dream Theater's Metropolis Pt. 2 didn't impress me that much didn't help, as I was put off by heavier, newer prog works. I now realise how much I've been missing out on.

Conceptually, Frances the Mute is a complex, fascinating and engaging tale that's supposed to be 'learned' - what I mean by this is that its story isn't quite clear with only a few listens. In this way, it maintains a great replay value, like Pink Floyd's The Wall, for example, which is the golden standard for concept albums in my opinion. This may be recency bias, but Frances the Mute's story is almost as beautiful and memorable as The Wall (even though it doesn't match the songwriting of Roger Waters), which is quite high praise. I look forward to further listens, as I'm pretty enthralled by this album that I've listened to it around three times already.

But the aspect of it that truly mesmerised me is the soundscape and the musicianship of the members. It blends some of my favourite things to be heard in a prog rock album, like free jazz elements, use of synthesisers, excellent guitar work and the liberal use of avant-garde sounds. However, I usually dislike it when prog music is on the heavier side. But, while I didn't enjoy it to the fullest, this heavier album was enjoyable to listen to. Undeniably, this album was very ambitious in using elements that are not often heard in most mainstream prog albums. This makes Frances the Mute a difficult album, which is a good thing when it comes to prog. However, the maximalist approach to the album's musical features also includes a few things I dislike. I found most conclusions of the songs that featured extended sound effects to be a drag to listen to. I felt that these parts made the songs a bit too long. This is one of the reasons I'm giving the album four out of five stars.

My favourite part of Frances the Mute is the amazing prog epic Cassandra Gemini, which I think is the best song on the album. It might be one of the best prog epics I've heard.

In summary, while it (unsurprisingly) fails to reach the heights of albums such as Close to the Edge by Yes or In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson - albums that set the bar very high, it's still an amazing record that most prog fans will enjoy, if they tolerate heavier, lengthier compositions.

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