Why am I even mentioning that Frankmusik could be the next big thing? Some nobody from London who’s first record has only been out for a week? First off, electropop is HUGE in the UK, and it’s just a matter of time before it filters through to the US, at least a little. Secondly, the teenagers I get my music from are ridiculously excited about this album and were posting it everywhere, every five minutes, when it came out last week. Lastly, on top of all that, he’s doing four shows in September as part of the “Perez Hilton Presents Tour.” So I had to see if the album would live up to the hype.
First off, this album is exactly what you’d expect. There are a lot of songs that are catchy and fun to dance to, but I’m very happy that I forgot to turn off shuffle when I first listened to it. To call the opening track “In Step” lackluster would be an understatement. It opens with generic synths and a simple pulsating beat. It does get slightly more interesting and complex, but this song seems to exist solely to get one annoying line stuck in your head for ages.
It isn’t until the third track “Gotta Boyfriend” that Complete Me begins to get truly interesting, and it takes the sixth track, “When You’re Around,” to really hear something great. Frankmusik jumps through the world of British electropop moving from Enrique Iglasias wannabe (In Step, Better Off As Two) to falsetto displaying/Mika channelling dance party guru (3 Little Words, Complete Me), to 80’s pop dance party master (Gotta Boyfriend, Wonder Woman) all in one album. It all obviously comes from the same dance based world, but is varying enough to keep the album interesting.
There are a couple standout tracks that will keep you listening. “When You’re Around” opens with an interesting baroque-esque synth which is complemented well with a dry, dark delivery to the vocals. The next track, “3 Small Words,” grabs your attention by being the only song to open with vocals as opposed to just synths, and having a great melodic line accompanied well with funky synth riffs in the verse. The sound is also very bright which adds to to the breath of fresh air feeling of the song, making it well placed in the exact middle of the album. “Vacant Heart” is also quite charming, like a modern version of a classic 80’s Wham-esque dance ballad.
I’m going to be listening to Frankmusik’s Complete Me a lot for approximately the next six months when suddenly I will turn on it like the press on a formerly chubby starlet who loses too much weight. My hate will be professed loudly for two months and, if it ever comes up in a shuffle, I will groan and hit skip saying it’s just not as good as it used to be. This a great album for dancing and brief enjoyment. It is an electropop blip on my radar of musical love. Fun for now, but much too sweet and simple to last.
Song to Download: 3 Small Words
Song(s) to ‘skip when shuffling: Done Done, Your Boy
Yet again, the best way to get in touch with new music is throught the kids.