Frog Eyes: Tears of the Valedictorian

This British Columbia quintet, pounding out the abrasive circus-rock anthems made popular in recent years by bands like Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown, comes close to perfection with its fourth album. The opening blast beats (drum beats rapidly alternating between snare and cymbal) of “Idle Songs” set the hyperactive tone for the rest of the album.

At times, front man Carey Mercer’s voice could be mistaken for Wolf Parade’s Spencer Krug (a part-time Frog Eyes member), sounding like the turning of ancient, rusted gears set to organ grinder melodies. The spastic vocal cracks in “Reform the Countryside” contrast beauty and melody with distortion and chaos. Mercer’s lyrics are littered with fantastical, dystopian imagery, such as “Oh, twice crooked and twice cursed night/ All the Punks cry, ‘deliver us, deliver us from the night!’”

The album’s sequencing is about as haphazard as Mercer’s vocal range, switching from barely over two minutes on one song to well over nine on the next. Despite this, Tears of the Valedictorian will not lose attention easily. “Bushels,” the final proper track, rounds out the album, climaxing with Mercer screaming, “I was a singer, and I sang in your home.”

- Mike Affholder
Frog Eyes (Absolutely Kosher Records)