Frogs, Pants, Cravings
posted 2 days ago #
This five song release is less of a formal offering and more of a sampler to introduce you to the freewheeling, good time, vibes of Froghat. The project is the pseudonym of Nicholas Clark, aka Minnowland, a musician, animator and all around enjoyably creative guy living in Chicago. The man has multiple monikers! And the surf music is a delight. Straight into regular rotation for me.
Power Pants - PP7
Truth be told, I know very little about this Winchester, Virginia band but three things caught me immediately. First, they self-identify as Egg Punk - which we have previously established I'm a fan of. Second, they have priced this release so that the cassette is $9 and the digital is $100 - giving a healthy nudge towards buying that tape. Respect. Lastly, and most importantly, the record is a high energy blast of memorably lo-fi song bursts. The longest song is 2 minutes flat and each one is enjoyable start to finish.
Crave On - Fantasy Hall
There's something about Crave On that calls to me in a deep seated way. It is difficult to articulate but Patrick Orr's languid vocals combined with the surprising arrangements of each song feel like they've emerged from another time and place - possibly a more Metropolitan past. Like I said, articulation on the appeal eludes me but I'm transfixed by it.
They're a Nashville band and fall into the category that so many artists in Nashville do - they deserve a wider audience. I'm sure that's true of any city with a talent pool but I can easily hear Crave On opening for Wilco or playing to a transfixed audience at the Newport Folk Festival. I hope that happens for them but, in the meantime, I'll just do my best to spread the gospel.