Frank Jordan
“Decoy”
(Cornerstone R.A.S.)
Frank Jordan. Does the name mean anything to you? Nah, me neither. And I didn’t think much of it after the first time I flipped on their latest CD “Decoy” to begin this review. But then I listened to it over again and something amazing happened. It started to grow on me. I don’t mean grow on me where it was suddenly useful to help block out the sounds of my neighbors going at it all night. No, I mean, it totally GREW on me.
There is some amazing music on this Fugazian tempest – it incorporates staccato guitar riffs with heavy, leading bass lines and very original sounding vocals, which vary from the shrilling whines in “Starter” to Chris Cornellean harmonies in “Of Ways”. And even without the vocals, songs like “2005 Ivar Ave” are surprisingly hypnotic, adding mellow elements of beauty to create a funky, dreamy sound. “Standard” is a stand-out addition to the album (standard) because it engulfs all of the sundry sounds that are scattered throughout the album into one, tall shot of liquid cocaine – with somewhat similar effects.
They certainly adhere to the principle ‘less is better’, never suffocating songs with an over-abundance of sounds, instead overlapping the instruments sparingly, uniquely, each given its own voice and melody, whether it be organ, flute or guitar. I’m not sure what they could be hiding in “Decoy”, but I do know that I won’t mind listening to it over and over, until I figure it out.
