Frank Friend

Fleeting Feelings

Written by: PP on 02/03/2012 02:24:09

Frank Friend is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer from Winter Park, Florida with a penchant for 60s music. He's also the closest match I've ever found to my favorite experimental indie rock band and one of the most creative units in modern music history, Portugal. The Man. For a moment there I wasn't sure whether "Mother & I" had actually been written by Portugal. The Man or if Frank Friend was the secret alter ego of the group's smooth vocalist John Baldwin Gourley, because the two sound near-identical in their soft, The Beatles/Pink Floyd inspired expression.

That's fantastic news for Frank Friend, because if there's one band that has received almost universal acclaim for their quirky and experimental indie output that often falls into the singer-songwriter category, it's those guys. And throughout "Fleeting Feelings", Frank does indeed sound a great deal like them, whether intentionally or not. The era being referenced is of course the 60s, but there are moments where Frank ventures into the 90s and even more modern eras, such as on the heartfelt and honest "Sleep Well", the second highlight on the eight track release. Here, his influences are less clear, and he sounds a tad bit more original, which is good, because this is where he stands out from the crowd of indie-flavored singer-songwriters.

Now, there are very few bands who are successfully able to venture into decades gone by without sounding date and irrelevant. Portugal. The Man are one of them. Frank Friend does almost equally well here, though without the pop element that the former sometimes integrate into their sound. Instead, "Fleeting Feelings" relies more on the singer-songwriter format, which gives for a more honest, down-to-earth sound that's a little more straight-forward and easily accessible, yet misses the final ingredient that would push it over the edge of being a good release into a great one.

7

Download: Mother & I, Sleep Well
For the fans of: Portugal. The Man, The Beatles, Pink Floyd
Listen: Bandcamp
Release date 19.10.2011
Self-Released

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