Frankie and The Heartstrings Hunger (Wichita)
3/5
By: Richard Brant
Frankie and Heartstrings’ music sits somewhere between their 50’s Brylcream haircuts, a love of the 80’s, and their contemporary surroundings. There’s something very raw about their style, revealing within, I feel, a yearning for simpler times. Hunger, the debut album from the Sunderland based five piece, is that yearning in motion, taking music back to “rock n roll” roots. Clearly a love of 80’s bands such as Orange Juice and The Go Betweens feature and who better to produce their debut than Orange Juice front man himself Edwyn Collins?
A very Beach Boys-esque opening greets, as the echoing vocals arise as if from a slumber, before the trademark dancing guitar chimes in with sudden infectious energy. ‘Photograph’ is a well placed opening, it’s filled with youthful exuberance, self doubt, uncertainty and a yearning to be loved. It acts as a tidy 3 minute synopsis, as all these themes crop up time and time again throughout. It’s raggedy and unpolished which adds somewhat to the charm.
‘Ungrateful’ is quite rightly a lead single and standout track within this album. A song that lyrically and production wise seems stronger than the rest. It has a fantastically catching guitar melody and paints a quite dark picture of a failing relationship, along with the accompanying turmoil that attempting to save it brings.
The mentioned youthful exuberance is in the foreground of many of the albums tracks, particularly the ever optimistic title track ‘Hunger.’ Full of sing along “woahs!” it tells the somewhat biographical story of starting a band, getting out there and enjoying it while it lasts. Following this is the 50’s dancehall creation that is ‘Possibilities’, a carefree 1’38” quip full of the joys of youth, and the “endless” opportunities ahead.
Relationships take centre stage for the remainder of the album, both ‘Fragile’ and later ‘Don’t look Surprised’ taking a more vulnerable and delicate approach not seen elsewhere in Frankie Francis’ inimitable mackem “happy chappy” style. The varying tempo in ‘Fragile’ helps to emphasise the emotionally confused state, “if it’s fragile, I think it’s worthwhile.” The strutting tune builds towards a crashing ending which could quite happily be a set ender.
‘Tender’ takes a 60’s guitar pop angle, characterised by the slapping tambourine like sound at the start. Alternatively to most of the relationship based tracks, it features a playful look at an attempt to win over a girl with all sorts of “romantic” proposals, while ‘That Postcard’ follows on with Frankie getting shot down off his perch. With this in mind ‘Obvious’ carries a lot more bite with the undulating bass declaring a fowl mode brought on by a love fraught situation.
‘Want You Back’ slows the album with a lamentation at a love hate relationship of the past, while ‘Don’t Look Surprised’ builds through its thumping drums to reveal a dejected soul, spat out from a rejection.
The album as a whole is good fun, even when tackling topics of desperation in love. It’s an easy listen and perhaps, more than anything, it’s their north east charm and boundless enthusiasm that has brought them so far. They are great to see live, but I fear there is something lacking here that needs to be addressed in order to take them that next step. ‘Ungrateful’ is the jewel in the crown and apart from perhaps ‘Fragile’ the rest of the album breezes over as a pleasant listen, but lacking the concise quality to really ingrain itself in to your head. With doom and gloom ever present at the moment, a nice-enough blast from an album like Hunger is always welcome, but there’s hopefully more to come.
Frankie & The Heartstrings - Hunger by Love Da Records
Artists in this article: Frankie and the Heartstrings
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