CD: COOKCD 225
RELEASED: 2002
LABEL: Cooking Vinyl

01. Over You
02. Surf
03. Small World
04. I Can't Start Now
05. Abloom
06. Tough
07. Big Ben
08. High Class Music
09. Turning the World Around
10. Mixed Up Love
11. For What It Was

Although Aztec Camera purported to be a band, it was really just Roddy Frame with trimmings. Surf, his excellent second "solo" album, is Frame shorn of any trimmings whatsoever, being merely the winsome singer and his acoustic guitar, recorded in booming close-up. All of Frame's traditional strengths are here - the yearning voice, the meandering melodies and the none-too-obvious lyrics. Roddy Frame covers a wide assortment of styles from his acoustic living room perch, with everything from folk to pop to jazz to slack-key guitar and even a hint of Latin influence in the song "For What It Was". Still, this collection is not for everyone. Many will bemoan the lack of sonic adornment, claiming much of the songs sound the same. Discriminating and patient listeners will find otherwise, listening for Frame's subtle musical nuances and poetic lyrics and finding them most impressive. These 13 songs are a pleasant quiet testament to the ongoing talents of Roddy Frame, aural proof that the years have certainly not dulled them. Frame's confessional new songs reveal a gifted songsmith clawing his way back in grand style.

Influences / Similar Artists:
Wild Swans, Orange Juice, Pale Fountains , Ocean Blue