Frog Eyes: Tears of the ValedictorianAbsolutely Kosher: 5/1/2007
I fell in love with Frog Eyes upon hearing their last album, The Folded Palm. I was bowled over by their short, restless, frenetic songs that changed melody and meter abruptly and without warning. That being said, I wasn't immediately enamored with Tears of the Valedictorian. The songs are much more structured and tend to give more cues ahead of transitions. There are even a couple of epic, multipart tracks that probably would have been broken into several separate songs if they had been recorded earlier in Frog Eyes' career. However, with some patience and effort, I began to appreciate Tears as a new direction for the band. Though their compositions are beginning to resemble "songs" in terms of structure, they are no less weird and wonderful. In fact, the longest track, "Bushels", has become my favorite song on the album and one of my favorites overall. Carey Mercer is developing a skill for writing grand, theatrical songs that maintain a sense of drama throughout. Though I had feared that Frog Eyes were past there prime, it is clear now that they are just getting started.
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