For the Birds

• Artist: The Frames
• Rating:
• Release Date: October 23, 2001
• Genre: Rock

Review

For the Birds opens with "In the Deep Shade," an understated instrumental that sets the mood for the rest of the album. Despite some relatively peppy numbers such as "Fighting on the Stairs," the wailing guitar sound on songs such as "Early Bird" and "Santa Maria," and the expectations some listeners may have for an album recorded with Craig Ward (dEUS) and Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana, Rapeman), this is primarily a gentle, slow, and melancholic album. It features melodic, folk-influenced rock songs (somewhere in the general vicinity of Will Oldham and Nick Drake, for example) with clearly discernible instruments including mandolin, piano, violin, brushed drums, and softly strummed guitar, as well as vocals that manage to sound emotive even when they seem hushed. The band says in their liner notes that this was their first chance to record an album without having to "cater to people outside of the band"; consequently, For the Birds features less-commercial arrangements that allow the group to take a leisurely pace, use subtle dynamics and negative space, and gradually build emotional intensity over the course of a song instead of trying to hook listeners immediately. Of course, this is hardly the first band to try this type of approach, but Frames handle it gracefully. ~ Todd Kristel, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
In the Deep Shade	David Odlum, Glen Hansard	The Frames	(3:29)
Lay Me Down	Glen Hansard	The Frames	(3:11)
What Happens When the Heart Just Stops	Glen Hansard	The Frames	(4:20)
Headlong	Glen Hansard	The Frames	(5:20)
Fighting on the Stairs	Glen Hansard	The Frames	(3:22)
Giving Me Wings	Glen Hansard	The Frames	(3:34)
Early Bird	Glen Hansard	The Frames	(5:04)
Friends and Foe	Glen Hansard	The Frames	(4:07)
Santa Maria	Glen Hansard	The Frames	(6:57)
Disappointed	Glen Hansard	The Frames	(3:09)
Mighty Sword	Glen Hansard	The Frames	(9:42)

Credits

Craig Ward (Engineer), Rachel Grimes (?), Shelly Weiss (?), Craig Ward (?), The Frames (Producer), Bruce Abrams (?), David Hingerty (?), Glen Hansard (Sleeve Art), Steve Albini (Engineer), Craig Ward (Producer), Steve Albini (?)

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