Frown Paper – Remanence
If, for some reason, you’re in the mood for bedroom funk and hypnagogic pop, look no further than Frown Paper’s Remanence. While there are certainly more notable and substantial genres in the underground sound, sometimes it’s the simple melodies and charming aesthetics that catch our attention. While it may be one of the better underground bedroom disco funk albums available today, it’s still far less impressive than the majority of the underground scene.
Perhaps it gets a pass because its recording gives new meaning to the term “bedroom-pop,” though Remanence’s greatest feat is also it’s greatest shortcoming; the album rocks the same charm as Frankie Cosmos’ Zentropy, though with none of the auteurism and awful mixing. While the lo-end synths add character to the soundscapes, the mixing is beyond abhorrent. Not only do the vocals sound like they were recorded on a potato, but they sound like they were sent back in time through a copper wire and interpreted via a broken antenna. The quality of vocals may not have been a problem, had they not taken up a large portion of the stereo mix.
Criticisms to the production aside, Remanence has one massive flaw; it’s nothing but pop from start to finish. It’s likely that Frown Paper hasn’t heard more than five songs in his lifetime, all disco, and has no intention on improving or expanding the genre. The exception is parallel, which blends space-rock with the dull, repetitive beats in an aesthetically pleasing, yet substantially unfulfilling manner. The song is as boring as the preceding tracks until the beats dissipate, and the noise runs rampart. The eccentric, powerful guitars elevate the song to new heights, almost saving the album from mediocrity. If only the rest of the album sounded the same, it’d easily come with a recommendation.
If bedroom still sounds appealing to you in 2021, you may enjoy Frown Paper’s disco ramblings, though the end result is shallow and boring. This is mostly to fault with disco; a boring and tepid genre to begin with.
Below Average
Listen to it here:
Frown Paper – Remanence
