Review Summary: A brilliant combination of loveliness and…boredom.
Frankie Rose has been places. Three respected indie bands. One solo album under the name “Frankie Rose and the Outs.” And as much as I hate to mention, this “best-new-music”-earning album as deemed by our buds over at Pitchfork. So it’s not a question of experience or talent here, and as expected, Interstellar is a very solid album.
The album is chock full of gliding guitar lines and soft floating vocals which settle nicely into Frankie’s simple verse-chorus songs. There’s a catchy chorus here and there (unsurprising the strongest lies in the single, Know Me), and every once and a while, an especially memorable verse. From top to bottom, the album sounds very nice; there’s not a single grating instrument or song to be found. Yet ultimately, that’s what keeps Interstellar from being the great album it might have been: it doesn’t really stray from safety. There’s no great risk apparent in the music, and Frankie’s chilled out vocals and the spacious, almost suppressive (soft, reverb-laden, yet somewhat minimal) production prevent Interstellar from reaching many inspiring climaxes. So ultimately, Interstellar is the non-bitter pill- effective in it’s cause and more forgettable with each passing day.
That’s not to say that Interstellar is void of excitement. The contained, effortless chorus of Had We Had It manages to soar and stay down to earth at the same time, Pair of Wings climbs without any real verses, and the self-titled opener pounds into a lovely oh-oh-oh chorus. Most of the other tracks don’t even attempt to reach similar heights, and while this may be Frankie’s artistic intention, it just doesn’t make up for the missed opportunities.
