2024-03-16 19:20:58
Friko Maybe sometimes it sounds like something a young Conor Oberst would have Arcade Fire-Love from Black Country, New Road anticipated shortly following the turn of the millennium and with one Lemon Twigs-like stylistic versatility. Even more crowning Where we’ve been, Where we go from here but already in advance a great indie year so far.
Experts familiar with the scene will say that this is the case since 2019 (then also known as… Three Marquees The EPs and singles released by the band from Illinois shouldn’t be a surprise at all – and looking back, it can certainly be confirmed that the quasi-compilation, for example Burnout Beautiful or the short format Whenever Forever present quite engaging samples of talent.
At what level Where we’ve been, Where we go from here the development of Frikowhich now only consists of vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger as a duo, regardless of the classification between insider tip and hype, but now celebrates seemingly coming from nowhere, but despite all the love and expectations, they had to go one way or the other probably not on the plan.
This becomes most clear in the comparison of well-known songs and their current, newly recorded versions – such as the single Get Numb to It!whose down-to-earth exuberance roughly captures pure euphoria, (in contrast to Black Country, New Road). especially in the context of the album format: Where we’ve been, Where we go from Here, in its back and forth of Sturm und Drang and retreat, its different tempos and stylistic variability, its constantly motivated ambition and pointedly balanced accuracy, acts incredibly dynamically, but at the same time brings a homogeneous, compact whole to the point Eclectic, constantly offering associations nine numbers as immediately igniting instant catchy tunes are, thanks to organic production, complex enough to force long-term stimuli.
Or as it says in the package insert: “Friko transform each song into a moment of collective catharsis.“
Where We’ve Been builds up carefully from the intimate acoustic number, cultivates a tearful, pleading, androgynous singing into an imploring gesture and emerges behind a gently sizzling rock scenario in the mild choir, then loosens the reins and lets the ecstasy blossom at a gallop, becoming the ideal opener to crawl back into intimacy, and Crimson to Chrome To convey his endorphin drive with exemplary great melodies and catchy hooks to the sense of community with a precise rumble: what an infectious momentum the hits on the record create!
Crashing Through brats angularly in readiness for noise, at the same time gentle and controlled, the team doesn’t serve you the mood of optimism on a silver platter but leaves you with the feeling that you can always discover something new behind the head-on rousing attitude, before the melancholic nostalgia For Ella at the piano in front of Elliott Smiths Everything Means Nothing to Me bowing, sharing bittersweet dreaming memories of the past, where well-tempered orchestral arrangements stride through the ballroom in subtle elegance. The fact that the final bit of genius never quite comes within overwhelming reach: a gift! The fact that 20 years ago you would have been over the moon with joy over this record probably speaks once morest your own age in a reserved way: being able to ignite enthusiasm Friko without question.
In Chemical that disappears Ave Maria in the rearview mirror of a choral accelerator pedal and distills the spontaneity of the record, captures the informal session character well, “wow!”, while Statues As a shoegaze-grooving mid-tempo rocker, the guitars roar, settle into harmonies and at the end even allow the scenario to briefly tip into a relatively heavy force, only to attack the end credits all the more fragile: a highlight!
Until I’m with You Again sits down at the piano to march together with bells and offers consolation (“I know it’s hard, my friend/ But I’ll be with you once more/ Remember this, my friend“), where subjectively the lyrical level of the record isn’t necessarily the biggest plus Friko represents. Even if Cardinal dozing quietly in the ambient sound with a folky Americana guitar, whistling briefly on the violin in a maudlin and sentimental way, and a conciliatory closing credits (“I’ve had better days, but none quite like this“) for an extended amalgam from “post-punk, chamber-pop and experimental rock“, it undermines the universal scope a bit when Niko makes himself the protagonist of the song.
But that’s absolutely clear – if it’s the 36 minutes of Where we’ve been, Where we go from here If you can manage to give back a good deal of hope for future indie generations, even if you have to single-handedly, then the passionate, strong-identity creators more than deserve a bit of egocentricity. (Despite the newcomer bonus, it’s not quite enough to round up the points. Perhaps only sensible: in view of Friko’s potential shown here as an imaginable indie torchbearer, there is still room for improvement in the rating for the rest of his career).
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