TOUR SAMPLER 2008

Like a large number of Frost* fans, I've been quite excited for anything more from the band since, oh, summer of 2006. There seems to be some kind of mania associated with the band, that if you enjoy their music, chances are you'll become quite obsessed with them. Anyways, I write all that to explain why I'd pay 8 Pounds (darn American keyboard doesn't have that curly L symbol) to have five tracks shipped overseas to my place. Truth is, I was desperate to hear something, anything from 2008's release from the band, Experiments in Mass Appeal. And what I found was definitely good music, quality Frost* stuff, but nothing remotely mandatory or mindblowing. At least I didn't do as many fans and buy the four different colors, so that I would have the complete picture--and four sets of the same songs.

Naturally, the two preview tracks, Experiments in Mass Appeal and Wonderland, were wonderfully exciting to me. Both are here in pre-release demo format, though neither sounds like it's horribly unfinished or poorly mixed. The first is an up-and-down piece of melodic genius, if I may say so. New band addition Dec Burke first shows his skills on this track, giving all the hungry Frost* fans a sample (yep) of what was to come later that fall. A roaring guitar solo that bleeds into a quirky keyboard solo make up the middle section, while the outro builds on itself for several minutes and carries a whole lot of power. Wonderland is a more pop-rock tune, featuring some wickedly catchy vocal harmonies and an almost inaudible keyboard solo at the conclusion that once you hear it, it makes the song that much more awesome. These two would make this a perfectly acceptable release to spend money on; however, both are merely demos that are outproduced and outperformed by the actual album versions.

The remainder of the material here are interesting tidbits for Frost* fans. Here Is the News is Jem's popular cover of the classic Electric Light Orchestra tune, and it does all the rocking you could ask for in such a version. Wedding Day is a melancholic piece of atmosphere, like a much slower Snowman. Maybe like something you could expect on a gentler Porcupine Tree or No-Man album. The final song is an acoustic duet rendition of one of Frost*'s (that looks funny) earlier songs from Milliontown, Snowman. The version is mostly by the books until the last note. As far as the accompanying videos go, the videos of Jem and Dec playing Snowman and Hyperventilate are neat, but they've been on youtube. The only thing here that is truly only here is the special Frost* report, which features a collage of numerous goofy moments from Jem's online youtube blog thing whatever. If you follow the band, then you probably know what this is. If you don't, then you might as well check wikipedia or Frost*'s (there it is again) website.

In all, sure it's fun. Sure the music is pretty neat. Sure having Wedding Day and Here Is the News on a CD is fun. But in the end, there really is little offered here that will appeal to anyone except a serious fan of the band. So if you love Frost*, good luck finding one of these babies. If you can, though, you might find it a fun addition to the band's rather small discography.