Album Review: The Frequency – Absence Of Giants

Today, friends, I woke up and felt the sun streaming into my room and thought to myself, “It’s time for something a little shoegazey, a little psychy, with some hot synth action.” With the sultry heat of the day beginning to simmer, and the blue of the sky seeming alive, I turned on The Frequency. And what a good move that’s turned out to be. The band’s latest release, Absence Of Giants, is a heady, intoxicating blend of all those little sounds that make yours truly very happy. And on an pre-Summer Summer day, it’s the perfect fit.

Hailing from LA, this band was chosen to be on the bill for the Austin Psych Fest this year, and it’s not hard to see why they were picked. The record opens with my favorite song, “Love Is One”, a mini opus in the key of drone. Its’ languid, slow-motion feel and seductively sliding guitar, not to mention the slightly muddied, perfectly-pitched vocals, make this particular song hard to stop listening to. Bleeps and sentiment follows in the brief “It Can’t Hurt You”, an ode to love (“Love can’t hurt you”). Not sure I agree, but it’s a good little song nonetheless. “Statues and Angels” has an almost industrial feel, thanks to some wailing guitar effects and the fixed beat of the drum. “Forwards”, another favorite of mine, is almost anthemic in its steady building and emotional-heavy lyrics. “Humans Play” treads trip-hop lines, with the repetitive line “Humans play with each other” backed by an almost dancey background that for some reason makes me think of the band Faithless.

Throughout the record, The Frequency shapeshifts from song to song, showing a mercurial style that’s pretty dang appealing. Their sound is all over the place, yet they somehow make it work. Each incarnation of their sound is rather agreeable, and being a fickle Gemini I sure do appreciate the need for constant transmutation. And I tell you what, the more I listen to Absence Of Giants, the more I want to see this band live, so boys, make it happen.

mp3: Love Is One (The Frequency from the forthcoming Absence Of Giants)