FRAMES

Definitely not neo prog as its definition is .

This was the first dissapoint I had when I listened to this album . I expected a good neo prog work from Germany.

I really don,t like too much the post rock line of prog....but I know and have enjoyed many bands of post rock.

I prefer melodic prog rock.

This album is mostly post rock with some addition of heavy prog or space rock sometimes.

As neo prog an awful album.

As post rock :If you compare this work with works of Tortoise,Bark Psychosis or Mogwai(for ex.) this is not a good work. I read in the presentation of the group in this page ...they want to sound unique very original.. Sorry no unique or original post rock music.

So for a Neo prog work 1 star. For a post rock album 2 stars.

The introductory track is "Entrance", whose one-minute length is based in a soft piano atmosphere that will lead to "Departure", a song where the post-rock feeling can be appreciated from start to end. Here we can listen to a great combination of explosive moments where the guitars and drums put a lot of energy and emotion, contrasted with soft passages where the piano and guitars produce a sweet and delicate sound. After three minutes a voice speaking can be heard, something very particular of post-rock bands; later, the music explodes and becomes heavier and more emotional, touching one's fibers.

"Encounter" starts with a mellow, charming and delicate sound produced mainly by strings, then, as you can imagine, the music flows creating emotional atmospheres full of textures and nuances that share different emotions. The composition is great, the band manages to intercalate those soft and heavy passages, they are very patient to see in which moment the change comes better, so the song is not really forced, it simply flows. "Calm Wisdom" is a two-minute track where the piano creates a delicate sound, which is wonderfully complemented by a cello. As a result, we have a brief but beautiful passage.

"Stir" is an involving song that gets your attention little by little due to its repetitive (but addictive) sound at first, thanks to the drums and guitars. A minute later it slows down and becomes friendlier, with nice keyboard notes and cool bass lines; then, the energy appears again with that heavier tune, which fortunately never reaches the boundaries of metal. "Reflections" is a wonderful track, its first moments are beautiful with piano and soft drums; it progresses and becomes a bit heavier little by little until like a rollercoaster, they suddenly put you in their softest side, when after five minutes a relaxing atmosphere is created and gives us a breath of fresh air. After six minutes there is a passage with sounds of nature and someone walking in the woods above dried leaves.

Then you will realize you are now listening to "Eris", which is a very good composition with a lot of nuances that create tense atmospheres in some moments, along with a sense of uncertainty. The bass sound is heavy, punched, while the drums are also strong and always well-placed. At minute four there is a change and the melody slows down creating a moment of tranquility, which later will disappear because the heavier and emotional music takes its territory once again. This is one of the finest moments of this album.

"Don't Stay Here" is the longest composition here, and another great one. Here it starts slow and then it flows like the wind. First we can listen to delicate piano making a cute melody, and then the guitars, drums and bass complement the structure and together create a very emotional front that if you are in the mood, it may cause you goosebumps. Later it slows down and creates a very peaceful, beautiful atmosphere that lasts for two or three minutes, just before the song explodes again and finishes with that emotional sound.

The same energy is implemented in "End of A Decade" which has a powerful beginning with a heavy bass and great keyboard atmosphere that create a tense and angry mood. As usual, it only lasts for a minute and then the music totally changes, slowing down considerably and adding new colors to the images. Later we have a wonderful passage where the drums play at its highest, giving even more emotion to the sound, which is also complemented by some strings sound (I believe it is a cello, but I'm afraid it was done actually by keyboards).

The last track is "Coda". A song with a delicate piano that produces a classical sound, and is accompanied by soft and distant atmospheres. The voice speaking reappears here for some time, and later the music becomes a bit heavier, without losing the importance of the piano, but now giving more exposure to drums, bass and guitar. The sound is very emotional, as usual.

What a great album by Frames, and though I still can't decide if I like more the debut or this, I can say I am happy with their music. My final grade four stars.

Enjoy it!

This is a young, talented and promising band from Germany which started the project back in 2007, they started composing and a couple of years later (2009) they released their first effort: an EP entitled "124", which consists in six instrumental compositions that make a total time of 34 minutes. After that EP, they released earlier this 2010 the first full-length album called "Mosaik" which I really enjoyed since the first time I listened to it; then I wanted to listen to their EP which is free to download via last.fm

So this EP kicks off with "Ocean", a track that little by little is catching your attention, until the moment you are within the music without noticing, you just have to let the music take you. The sound of this band can be labeled as post rock, however here they are listed as Neo Prog, of course, labels may be a subjective issue. I really like the sound of the bass here, besides the obvious guitars leadership, and the great keyboard use.

"G" creates a soft and dreamy atmosphere, mainly due to the guitar sound, but a minute later keyboard appear with a great sound as background. The music is actually catchy and may appeal to any post rock fan, or instrumental music followers. So as I've said in other reviews, take advantage of the free-download facility.

"Ruff" is a weaker track, despite it has some good moments, especially the drums, I think it is a lowdown, the rhythm is quite slow compared to the previous tracks (which does not make it bad), but it never caught my real attention, I just listened to it as another track, nothing more.

"Insomnia" on the other hand, is a much better and interesting track. Again it starts slow but after a minute it makes a change and the music becomes more powerful and exciting. I have to say, that this track was also included in their "Mosaik" album, so I believe they also consider it as one of their best songs. I really like the bass notes because it gives a darker mood, and also the changes (mood and rhythm) were very well composed and arranged. There is also a sweet piano sound over there. Cool track!

"Compromise" starts with a groovy bass and seconds later drums and keys appear creating a charming atmosphere that will last until the very end of the song. Later guitars appear and add their delicate sound, making some beautiful passages. In moments, this track especially reminded me of the band Tristeza. Beautiful track!

And finally "M", another track included in their full length album. Starts with piano and then little by little the other instruments join them. I like the progression on this song, how the drums add that power, and still the piano sound gently. Later some kind of metal-ish guitars appear and make the song heavier, but quite enjoyable.

Since I was introduced to Frames, I have really liked their music. This EP is pretty good, quite decent and promising, so I recommend you give it a spin. My final grade will be three stars.

Enjoy it!

The guitars are a standout, very clear and at times aggressive distortion enhance the sound. The keyboards are well played throughout and the production is clear and crisp. Each track has a mood that ranges from joyous exuberance to melancholy sombre textures. As an instrumental album it works as something to put on in the background, but as a headphone experience for me it had no wow factor, and in fact there are no real standout tracks rather it blends together quite seamlessly.

The first 6 tracks simply cruised along and I looked at the track listing and was surprised to see I was into track 6 when it felt like one long track. I do not consider this to be a bad thing but the band, I believe, could do so much better by branching out into some more adventurous territory or to experiment with musical forms. Having said this the album is still a pleasant experience and I hope to hear more from this German Neo-prog unit.

Mosaik is one of those debuts that can be called enjoyable, promising, and disappointing all at the same time. After the first few songs you really think you're in for a masterpiece, but by the end of the album, Frames' "formula" gets pretty repetitive. It's really a shame that Mosaik is so formulaic, because there are some really fantastic songs here! Seeing the potential that Frames possesses in the first half of the album, it's obvious that this band has a promising future. However, as it currently stands, it seems that we have an average album with a few standout tracks... all of which happen to be at the beginning.

This German 4-piece outfit plays an eclectic style of post rock. Most of the album can comfortably be described as post rock, but there are a few metal-oriented moments on Mosaik, as well as prog influences. Despite this eclecticism, this sound is used on basically all of the songs on this almost one-hour affair. By the end of the album their unique sound has worn out its welcome, and becomes a bit of a drag. Compositionally speaking, the best songs (The Beginning, Agenda, ISP, and Insomnia) are all towards the front-end of this release. Not to say the other songs aren't good, but they have nothing that really stands out. It also doesn't help that almost all of the songs have the same arrangements and repetitive compositional structures.

The musicianship is pretty good. All four musicians definitely know what they're doing on this album. The production is actually probably the best part about Mosaik. It's moody, clear, and professional. I have only good things to say about how this release is produced.

Conclusion:

Mosaik is a solid debut by Frames, but I can't help feeling a bit disappointed by the end product. Had the entire album been as strong as the first half, I definitely would've been more impressed. As it stands, this is worth a purchase if you're into post rock, even if it's mostly for the first few tracks. 3 stars are warranted here.

(Originally Posted on SeaofTranquility.org)

It is not correct to think that the new bands don't have anything fresh to add to the musical realm, for those who believe that nowadays there are no new ideas, that nowadays music sounds the same and there is no progression, I invite you to check out this debut album from German band Frames. They started this project in 2007, released a demo EP last year, and now this 2010 they are releasing their first full- length album entitled "Mosaik". I have the luck of listening to this album before it is released, thanks to Jon Freeman. And now after some few listens, I am more than happy with this album.

The album features twelve songs and a total time of almost an hour, 60 minutes where these four musicians gathered their ideas, skills and emotions in order to transmit them in a purely instrumental album that blends post-rock with heavy prog, you know I am terrible at labeling, so don't judge their sound by my words.

The album opens with "Intro", as you can imagine, just a short introduction to the band's sound, delicate keyboard notes and a gentle atmosphere that will lead you to "The Beginning", so here you can say the journey starts. Soft bass notes at first and then charming guitars along with the drums, a minute later piano adds its special flavor and the song turns emotional thanks to the guitar sound. Later there is a short stop that will introduce a beautiful violin sound, though this sound lasts only for some seconds because later the guitars appear making a heavier sound and producing a stronger feeling.

"Agenda" brings power to the sound, since the first seconds you will notice that heavier guitar sound that will make you move your head, but as background it is noticeable a piano sound that contrast with that heavy sound, adding its proportion of beauty. Later the song changes and slows down a little bit, just in order to construct a new structure that will progress little by little until it reaches its climax; at the end, the song remains as it began, with that power.

After this heavier track, we are now with "Transition" which happens to be the shortest theme, less than a minute of melancholy and beauty created by keyboards. This transition led us to "Isp", which is a softer song where the guitars take the leadership, the post-rock feeling here is evident, as evident as the band have previously listened to bands like Isis or Explosions in the Sky, however, they took some elements from the bands that inspired them in order to create music that has the sound of Frames.

"Insomnia" is a beautiful composition from beginning to end. There is a thing I don't really know, because there are sounds of strings like violin or cello, but I am not sure if they were created by keyboards, or if they were actually those string instruments played by some band member or guest, however, the sound created by them is extraordinary. A couple of minutes later there is a change, a soft piano sound that is accompanied by gentle guitars and fresh drums, the bass lines are also very well placed. During the seven minutes of this song you will find yourself caught in a realm where several emotions, colors and textures surround you. If you have good headphones, then use them because there are sounds that should be noticed. Excellent song!

"Driving Head" starts with bass lines that create an ambient of tension, the sound produced by keyboards also produce the same feeling, it is like if you were walking nervous through the street and you are looking everywhere because you feel something is going to happen, and it happens, a minute later the song turns heavier, now you have been found so you have to run until you find a place to be safe. Ok, now rest; take a deep breath while nice guitars are sounding because you have to be prepared for the next run. There is a great passage where the keyboards produce a kind of symphonic sound that works as a background. Later there is a short moment of tranquility where the piano appears, you think you are safe now and want, but later that tension reappears and creates even a dramatic atmosphere. Great song!

"Intermission" as the name suggests is another short track that works as the prelude to a longer one. This is a work for the keyboard player, piano sound and some ambient effects, nice one. "Horizon" starts with that gentle and warm sound that the previous track left. The song is slow and friendly, there is a nice piano song all over the track, and the guitar work is very reminiscent to EitS, even the atmosphere in some moments. I like where the violin sound appears because it adds a different flavor and produces diverse images. The last minutes of this song are very emotional.

"Audacity" shows actually what the title suggests. This song starts heavier, with those guitars that provoke something in the listener, but later the song turns softer and calm, the heavy guitars disappear and the post-rock like ones appear creating that nice atmosphere. Later the guitars change again and make a kind of rockish sound, but just for some seconds because the heavy post rock sound returns. Another nice thing on this song, is the sound of the keyboards, they may sound far but if you pay attention you will feel them above the other instruments, despite not being intended, I believe.

And finally "M", a track that follows the same path, the same line as the previous ones, though it does not mean that have the same sound. It is important to mention that if there is something that I could appreciate here, is that the band is very constant, I mean there are actually no bad songs here, or boring passages, no, the music is always constant, producing and provoking several things, which is the value of the music. This is the longest song, fifteen minutes that actually can be divided in two parts, because after minute eight the song "finishes" and there are a couple of minutes of silence. Then the music starts again, I believe it is a hidden track actually, but I don't know.

Great debut, I am happy with this album and keep my hopes for the future of Frames, I am sure they will create amazing albums in the future. My final grade will be four stars.

Enjoy it!

A very interesting German post-rock/metal/alt- band, Frames bring a nice debut to the table with 'Mosaik.' Though it's not the most diverse album ever made, it does offer a finely-crafted, enjoyable listening experience.

Consisting of four members, Frames obviously are keen to the 'progressive' label but further incorporate elements of post-rock and a bit of post-metal. Manuel Schonfield creates atmospheric and sometimes virtuosic keyboard sequences that guitarist Jonas Meyer locks tightly in with his distorted power chords. Kiryll Kulakowski (drums) and Julian Hoffmann (bass guitar) are definitely no slouches when it comes to creating a unifying rhythm section. Melding punk and jazzy drum techniques, Kiryll adds a flavor of originality to all the tracks and never stays with one beat too long. Julian compliments Kiryll well with his funk-and-jazz-inspired playing. By not having a vocalist, Frames can really compose pretty nice pieces of music, filled with lush yet sometimes 'small' keyboards, delayed guitar, and jazz-inspired drum fills.

Highlights of the album are "The Beginning," "Driving Head," "Intermission," and the angular "Audacity."

I definitely recommend this to all fans of post-rock. I feel Frames should vary up the tracks a bit, though; they can sometimes get pretty samey and with all their instrumental potential, they could be creating some really great stuff in the future. A good debut and Frames is certainly a band to watch out for in the future. Four Stars, very good effort.