Frankmusik- 3 Little Words EP (Island)
4/5
By: Dickon Stone
Frankmusik make pop. Really, really good pop, that sits somewhere between The Postal Service, Lo Fi Fnk, and a whole wicker basket full of tunes collected from soundtracks to films like The Goonies, Dirty Dancing and lord knows how many other eighties classics.
Yet this is not a disgusting 'I desperately want to be retro' effort - rather, it's a catchy, upbeat, feel good, and, to coin an oxymoron, new-classic sound from someone who's certainly a talented pop-devil.
Utilising some wonderfully 'honestly, I am from the past...' synth patches, a whole host of Commodore 64 samples and some stocky drums that would befit the soundtrack to Rocky 4, '3 Little Words' brings all the fast paced joys of speeding through town unhindered on a bicycle (I can't drive, and so can only imagine that this comes close to being in a convertible, which was my original analogy).
'Better Off As Two' is a bouncy number full of 'mmm's and little vocal flickers, solid kick drum thuds prompting movement, and represents a step even further towards conventional electro-pop. Later, 'Run Away From Trouble' is a slow, warpling, falsetto journey into the other side of Frankmusik, where they aren't afraid to unleash a gentle, vocally stunning venture towards something that more resembles Maps, DNTEL or even Gotye.
With a remix of Alphabeat's 'Fascination' under his belt, and this EP guaranteed to hit home like a laser guided pop nuke, Frankmusik is sorted. 3 Little Words is a wonderful thing.
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