Frankie was a member of the Dum Dum Girls, amoung other groups. As a drummer/vocalist she has played mostly with surf/noise-rock under the indie umbrella. This album shows that a producer can make all the difference. Not that I love it all, but it's clear that she's acheiving something more accessible and easier-listening. Reverb is cleaned-up. Vocals are echoed and double-tracked. And there are times when it seems that Frankie's trying to capture a St. Vincent vibe and others where it's cloer to Jane Weidlin.
If she wanted to hide the fact that she's a drumer, she's doing a good job of it. The songs are largely dream pop. An exception is the upbeat, "Night Swim". With it's stong vocal chorus and steady backbeat, it's a candidate for a summertime hit if there ever was one. The guitar tones have some of that surf vibe. That is, I'm sure someone is playing a Fender Stratocaster through an echoplex-type effect. But the playing is too subdued for my tastes.
I would still call Frankie green in the songwriting department. Chords are simple and repetitive. "Pair Of Wings" is an interesting example. With its lyric of "show me your scars, I'll show you mine" it shows promise, but then never builds to anything that's going to be memorable. At that is true of most of the album. (2 of 5 stars)
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