Review: Frames by Oceansize

Being a huge fan of Oceansize and of both of their previous long players, ‘Effloresce’ and ‘Everyone Into Position,’ I felt I had a good idea of what to expect from the prog quintet’s third album, ‘Frames.’ Upon my first listen, and also upon any listen since, the album did not and does not disappoint.

Oceansize are, for anybody who has not yet encountered them, a band whose vocabulary does not contain the words ‘compromise’ or ‘mediocre.’ Their previous albums were epic in both scale and intention, comprising songs that ranged from dark, psalm-like ballads to triumphant, monstrous magnum opera, covering a huge amount of dynamic ground in between (as well as on either side).

Oceansize are a progressive rock band who, unlike a lot bands in the prog bracket, are not shy with grandeur or emotion but do it without being overblown or pretentious. Their songs can be incredibly intricate – some may say complicated, and the length of their songs probably won’t please the majority of pop-rock or indie fans, but in their field Oceansize are arguably one of the UK’s most creative and interesting bands.

‘Frames’ sees Oceansize at their most diverse.

The album opens with ‘Commemorative 9/11 T-shirt,’ a track that demonstrates the band’s aptitude for building complex pieces out of simple ideas. From the track’s hypnotic opening riff, the song seems to slowly charge up, gathering a kind of static energy, finally discharging in a cataclysm of heavy guitar chords.

 

Lead single ‘Unfamiliar’ presents the only section that could be considered as a chorus on the album, with frontman Mike Vennart delivering a knowing yet impassioned vocal.

The band continue in top form, through 6-minute-plus epics such as ‘Trail of Fire,’ a pensive piece which creates a mood so unique that it defies explanation, and ‘Savant,’ a rich ballad using layers of vocals and French horns that give the track an ethereal quality.

On the narrative ‘Only Twin’, Vennart sings in a blunt, almost spoken style. The words “I’ve come through all this before, and I bought that skinny tee, with a big black gaping hole where my heart should be, that says Baby, I renounce thee” are some of his most imaginative to date.

Instrumental track ‘An Old Friend of the Christy’s’ [sic] is the only disappointment on the album. Aside from the dark, requiem-like mood the piece creates, it does little else to capture the imagination and seems too unoriginal for a band with such vision.

‘Sleeping Dogs and Dead Lions’ is the most intense piece on the record; starting off with a stomping, Meshuggah-esque riff and progressing to driving guitar-stabs reminiscent of Biffy Clyro. Meanwhile, the vocals move through everything from screams to bi-tonal rambling, and while such intensity is frighteningly raw at first, a few listens soon uncover the song’s depth.

If ‘Sleeping Dogs and Dead Lions’ is a testament to Oceansize’s ability to create music at the ‘brutally scary’ end of the scale, album closer ‘The Frame’ demonstrates their ability to write songs at the other end. The song is a reflective ballad that builds from tranquil beginnings to an epic climax, narrated by incredibly honest sounding lyrics in the style of previous Oceansize songs such as ‘Long Forgotten.’

As a whole, ‘Frames’ is an outstanding offering which sees Oceansize at the peak of their mastery. They seem to have moved on from their earlier material, and while I would like to avoid the cliché of saying they sound more mature, there is certainly a sense that they’re a wiser and more focused band. Like a young Anakin Skywalker, Oceansize during their earlier years were certainly powerful; capable of huge feats of musical might. However, with the release of ‘Frames’ the band are now more akin to Darth Vader, able to channel their raw energy and emotion exactly as they please.

I hope they choose to use their powers for good rather than evil, or it could be goodbye for the lot of us.

Tags: frames, music, Music Review, oceansize, review