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Local Austin band Frantic Clam originally joined forces while serving in the armed forces in Iraq. The two founding members, Zack and Joe, spent their spare time crafting simple tunes. Celebrity is the band’s first EP, but a full length album is scheduled for release this Winter.
Opening track “Mary Elizabeth Winstead” is definitely rooted in a Southern soul sort of vibe, as the guitar work is really gritty. The vocals are reminiscent of a Issac Brock being raised in the Deep South, with backing vocals added to fill in some the empty space in the song.
They wander off to “Everything is Perfect,” which is probably the best song on the album. The vocals at the beginning are really crisp, which packs a stronger punch than some of the fuzzier recording that comes along later. It’s a gentler approach to their songwriting; an attribute the band should consider employing full time.
“Richard Cory” is another mellow number at track 3. A slower pace allows the band to focus on the melodies here, and this ends up demonstrating the band’s abilities to intertwine hooks with their space infused Southern rock sound. Similarly, “Amnesty” is filled with space keyboards and lyrics battling the mundane world, along with mundane problems. It comes off like an old Grandaddy b-side.
They close the album with samples of Oz, as they finish with “The Emerald City.” It’s a song that exhibits a bit of funk, as if the band smashed into Stereolab all of a sudden. It is another sound that demonstrates the possibilities the future holds for this band. Keep an eye on this group, as I’m sure we’ll hear more of them in the future.
Speaking of hearing more, the band has a gig on December 12th at Hole in the Wall, so go check it out; keep it local.
You can also check out single from the album Richard Cory elsewhere on our site.
Ugly Cassanova is the side-project of Modest Mouse frontman Issac Brock. He’s recorded a bunch of tracks for the soundtrack for the movie 180° South, and this is really the first batch of songs without the band in quite some time. The soundtrack comes out on June 22nd on Brushfire Records. Personally, this is how I remember Brock in his hey-day, all wobbling vocals with a touch of soul. The track “Lay Me Down” really takes off once the horns kick in, and you realize that despite some of the trappings of recent MM works, Brock still knows how to write one hell of a tune. Take a listen.