FRAMES
Mosaik
SPV 2010

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Normally, if I see the phrase "art rockers" lurking in a press release, that means it's time for the Big Red Emergency Button, which sees a team of crack ex-SAS men swooping in to carry out a controlled explosion. But for some reason I was in a slightly more expansive mood than usual, so decided to give this a crack, in the hope that it would actually turn out to be prog-rock, masquerading as something cool.

And, yay! It is. After all, what would you call an eleven track instrumental album, that swoops and swooshes in all the right places? Exactly. Now they may think of themselves as being the heirs to King Crimson, but bring Robert Fripp round my way, and I'll happily poke him with a broom handle, shouting "prog, prog, prog" every thirty seconds until his brain explodes.

And, "Mozaik", the debut album from German progster newcomers Frames, is along those lines. But with more melody. I'm always slightly leery of instrumental albums, as I'm never entirely sure what I'm supposed to be thinking. I'm simple that way. But as the opening two tracks are called 'Intro' and 'The Beginning', I reckon I might have a handle on it.

It's a keyboard heavy album, which isn't entirely surprising given that there are two keyboard players listed, but when the guitars do kick in, then it's a definite bonus. Some of the quieter numbers go a bit Mercury Rev out-take (see 'ISP'), but that's no bad thing. It's an album for the end of the day, when you've tired of the constant babble of modern man, and that's to be commended. The highlights for me were 'Insomnia' and 'Horizon', but it's always interesting.

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