Karl Frog

If you’ve been hooked into the site over the past few weeks, the new record from Karl Frog has been a pretty heavy staple. The third in a trio of albums from the past few years, Yes, Music is a more widescreen version of Karl’s pop vision. Opening up with the opulence of “Colonial Hearts,” the album slips synth and shimmer into a palette that skips from Byrne and solo Eno to his admitted love for post-Lizzy Phil Lynott. Dash in some Sparks and a touch of XTC and the record finds slippery footing between New Wave and Art Rock camps. Like Byrne at his best, the LP has a kind of off-beat funk to it, dancing between the lines in erratic fits and starts. The bass keeps listeners’ feet in constant motion, tapping and toeing in opposition to the steadfast calm of Karl’s lyrical laments.

As synth-heavy as the album is, there are moments when strums sneak in, giving ballads a beatific glow on “What I’ve Plagarised,” and swaying in New Wave saunters on “Legends of the Niche.” Up until this point, Karl Frog’s been a faceless mask for the Canberrian/Estonian musician, turning up on the edges of tape culture in low runs from Hidiotic, but the tip of the spotlight grabs him a bit more in his debut for Spoilsport. The record riffs on his wobble and invites a wider array of listeners into the circle. Frog’s still fighting the fanfare, hiding in and around the persona and its anonymity, but musically the record is more open, filling in the biographical and photographic gaps in his resume with wondrous tales of emotion and its overwhelming effect on our lives.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.