#11 - The Frames - The Cost

The Frames - The Cost (Anti-)
You always know what you're getting with The Frames, they have a very easy-to-figure out songwriting formula that usually involves a song starting off quietly before reaching a loud and heavy chorus that is punctuated by Colm Mac Con Iomaire's touching violin playing. The only thing left to wonder as you listen to a record by this Irish band for the first time is how many fast-paced songs will there be?

On 'The Cost', The Frames have, for the most part, settled on taking the slow road as they meander through the emotionally charged lyrics. It's a bit of a departure from 2004's 'Burn the Maps', which featured a number of stadium-worthy anthems, and more akin to 2001's slow burner 'For the Birds' and lead singer Glen Hansard's 2006 side project, The Swell Season. In fact, Hansard brought along two songs from The Swell Season, re-recorded them with the entire band, and put them on 'The Cost'. Those songs, 'Falling Slowly' and 'When Your Mind is Made Up', were also performed live during the band's 2005 tour.

Hansard knows how to tug at the heartstrings through his vocals and tracks like the tropical sounding 'Sad Songs' and the sparse 'True' are more emo than anything you might hear by Cute is What Fallout Boy Aims For. The powerful delivery of these words coupled with the dynamic musical delivery by the supporting musicians is enough to bring any man to his knees, eyes closed, with goose bumps covering his arms and legs.

In addition to the already named tracks, songs like 'People Get Ready', 'Rise', and 'The Cost', which is a sister to 'A Caution to the Birds' from 'Burn the Maps', are the type that could be radio hits as easily as movie soundtrack filler.

If The Frames aren't one of the best bands in the world (and I would argue that they are), they certainly are among the elite groups that call Ireland home.