Emerging from the prolific Netherlands, we first encountered the young troubadour Frankie delighting us with his modern Screaming Lord Sutch around Halloween 2023. After delivering this delectable appetizer, he is back with a copious full course and what a gustatory journey through realms and atmospheres !
As in a very animated dream, one moves seamlessly from one dimension to another, as if hopping on a cloud for a magic carpet ride. On the sleeve, Frankie appears to be levitating a scroll or book of spells under his prominent album title. The font is quite a show stopper and looks like it's made of fragments from the cosmos. On the back cover, the songwriter is holding a magic wand in his right hand while one can clearly see the cover of the book with a massive question mark, in his other hand. Buckle up, wizard Frankie is about to take you to the moon and back with his Strange Tales. Meanwhile, embrace the uncertainty of what comes next.
The tune Lonesome prince opens the gateway to these tales, like a loop at the crossroads of the human and occult world where the veil is thin : the sounds of drops brewing in a magic potion and church bells simultaneously dissolving into the ether. Our prince is going to beat the odds on his sonic crusade. From a rather candid paisley laced melody like "Wings ‘n Gills" to a dreamscape like the hypnotic "Black Rose" which may remind some of another Dutch artist, Jacco Gardner’s whimsical early work. This song is a poetry ode whose spellbinding charm will stop you in your tracks. It reflects on the tantalizing power of things. Stop and smell the black rose but beware of its thick thorns.
Throughout the record, Frankie keeps shapeshifting. “Fossilized” substantiates one of his transient incarnations and the cycle of life. He incorporates his native Dutch language in some of his songs, which never sounds incongruous as every track is a chapter in itself but they all fit into another as part of the narrative. Dutch being quite similar to old English, it sounds like he is expressing himself in a variant of modern English, which adds to the quaint spirit of his tunes.
"Planeet Babylon" reaches a climax almost halfway through on the album, he's unlocked a portal in his peregrinations. “Rat King” brings a more delicate, melancholic and quintessentially fairy tale vibe, It is a medieval tapestry that resonates in your mind. The following tune “Strange Machine” is as dissimilar as can be and features a western gimmick vibe, an epic chase that conveys some sense of urgency and a cinematic feel.
This rolls on to "Time" and "Panic Attack" which are worthy of classic horror movies soundtracks and put forward a spooktacular dimension. One gets trapped into a haunted derelict manor with Time and a riff that literally sticks its fangs into our necks.
Panic Attack triggers some high adrenaline rush and mirrors our own brainmap when we are afraid. Then, in a stark contrast, "Breathe" radiates the most soothing and zen aura.
On the same token, "Changes Around You" are the calm after the War Machine storm. The intro is a (not so) veiled reference to the Stranger Things theme.
The uplifting finale "Crooked Flower" closes the circle, leaving the listener replenished after a full spectrum of emotions and ambiances. Frankie’s Strange Tales is a journey through music that mirrors life, its ups and downs, its pleasures, thrills, surprises, doubts and phobia. One you will want to revisit and will discern more of its weaving and details at every listen.
Frankie's Strange Tales are available on Soundflat records and streaming platforms.
