Over the last decade, Chicago-based singer\/songwriter Frank Tribes has earned numerous comparisons to classic pop rock artists like Neil Young, The Byrds, and even The Beach Boys.\u00a0 While these influences clearly permeate his fourth studio release, Lean Out Your Window<\/i>, they mesh into a distinct voice that is uniquely Frank Tribes.<\/p>\n
Honestly, the front third of the album did not immediately grab my attention, sticking mostly to formulaic pop rock elements.\u00a0 The sunny, poppy \u201cFind Yourself Alone\u201d is an uplifting track with lyrics reminiscent of a self-help book, harmonizing vocals, and occasional glistening, reverberating guitar chords.\u00a0 Tightly structured \u201cSunshine Lane\u201d grows on you, and the subdued and faintly sorrowful \u201cAirplane, Anything!\u201d is well-crafted.\u00a0 Neither of these is particularly outstanding, and the lyrics are a little uninspiring and occasionally puzzling.<\/p>\n
Tribes throws a hell of a change-up with \u201cBitter Morning,\u201d which is the most interesting composition on the album. \u00a0An opening accordion feeds into a straightforward but infectious rhythm and melancholy melody that fits the song\u2019s title.\u00a0 The chorus easily sports the most memorable hook on the album, \u201cDon\u2019t feel bad, you\u2019re not shallow \/ I can see you\u2019re one fine fellow \/ Have a laugh and drink until the bitter morning.\u201d\u00a0 I dare you:\u00a0 just try and listen to the track once through and resist the temptation not to repeat it once or twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHanging Around\u201d is another highlight, channeling My Morning Jacket, with its sonorous vocals and lean but graceful instrumentation, especially the gorgeous sequence shared by two acoustic guitars.\u00a0 Pizzicato strings behind the chorus are a subtle but fitting touch.<\/p>\n
Throughout the album, the mood seems to feel fluid, which to me is a great sign.\u00a0 \u201cOnly My Voice\u201d is downcast, with Tribes\u2019s lonely voice accompanied by ghostly harmonizing vocals (\u201cFalling, falling straight down \/ Thinking the end\u2019s coming near\u201d).\u00a0 Other tracks, by contrast, are decidedly more upbeat and charming like \u201cMarilee\u201d and \u201cNow You\u2019re Listening\u201d, which features ostentatious Who-like drums and ascending guitar arpeggios to bring the album to a close.<\/p>\n
Frank Tribes succeeds with Lean Out Your Window<\/i> in crafting a solid, aurally pleasing album, carving his own style out of a conglomeration of influences from singers\/songwriters\u2019 and classic rockers\u2019 past.\u00a0 It’s a song or two away from greatness, but I\u2019m sold that Tribes is a secret that the Windy City needs to share.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":30513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[8653],"rating":[5612],"class_list":["post-42179","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-frank-tribes","rating-rating-b-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/42179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=42179"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=42179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}