The Franks' last release was a shimmering seductress of a single remixed by
the hand of God (Kevin Shields!), and their fourth album contains more sonic
surprises but not all necessarily of the pleasant kind. Yes, the Franks have
pursued their subtle penchant for all things electronic to such an extent that
some of Glass could work as a bug-eyed and uplifting companion piece to
Kid A. Traditionalists needn't fret too much as this still has a firm
foot on planet pop with with trademark Franks choruses and gentle melodies.
The opening ‘Underground’ is an excellent fusion of analogue and
guitar pop, narrating tales of “Spending nights in lonely discos/hiding
in the drunken shadows/trying to be amongst the heroes”. After this
promising opening salvo it's a shame that the rest of the collection
overindulges the production to the extent that if it wasn't for the impassioned
vocals, large chunks of Glass would sound insipid and lifeless. Many
artists would give anything to work with Rob Kirwan and Flood, but the overdone
and overblown studio trickery displayed here makes one itch to hear what the
demos were like. ‘Sinking’ is choc-a-bloc with strange and twisted
alt-country verses and a lazy chorus that never gets a chance to escape, while
‘Paradise’ slightly overdoes the noodly electronica.
The finished product not only sounds slightly strangled, but some of the
tunes are a little too far gone and on the twee side. That has always been a
plus/minus of the Franks depending on your pop persuasion, but it's a shame
their glorious pop vision has nearly been polished out of recognition.
Eamon Sweeney
Rating: 7 / 12
