Recent Reviews

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

December 2023

November 2023

[ More Music Reviews ]


Frank Flight Band: Remains
Frank Flight Band Remains Album Review

Frank Flight Band: Remains

Melodic/Progressive/Blues Rock
3.5/5.0

From northwest England, Frank Flight Band has been faithfully plodding along creating their music for 18 years. Only in the last several years have they put their music to record. Remains is their third album in the last four years.

Frank Flight Band Remains Photo

Frank Flight Band: psyched out.

The band pitches themselves as a psychedelic progressive rock band which can drift into blues rock. You'll hear all of that across this album, but the blues current my have a stronger presence. Perhaps it's better to call this a guitar rock, psych, prog, blues, or otherwise, as most everything revolves around Alex Kenny's significant and expansive fret skills. Otherwise, throughout, Remains has a rather mild temperament.

Everything about this album feels subdued and somber, like the band was afraid they might bust an amp if they kicked out the jams. The most up tempo, peppy, song here is Dark Waters. Some songs have brighter moments, often thanks to Kenny's guitar, like the midpoints of Sinaloa and Razor Glass. Mostly, the songs are smooth and patient in presentation from start to finish. They hope to draw you in with the subtly of their melody and then hook with Kenny's fret work to keep you interested.

It works rather well with The Ballad of Alice Grey, a basic symphonic blues rock number. It gets more precarious on the lengthy Cat where, at better than 20 minutes, you need to have your own degree of patience and wits about you to keep listening. While it may be the closest think to being psychedelic prog rock, the flow and ambience of the song reminds of mood music. And it might put you in the mood for a relaxing sway in your backyard hammock, at least until the final third where Kenny's lively guitar lead takes off. But that could be said for the whole of this album. I'm curious how many of these songs sound performed live. I suspect they have more energy. In the end, the strength of the album is in that very subdued song composition which showcases Kenny's impressive guitar work. It's interesting material, and definitely worth checking out.


Listen: Frank Flight Band - Remains





CraigHartranft.net - New fiction, crime fiction by Craig Hartranft

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

In Short

Remains offers rather subdued song arrangements of melodic blues, sometimes psychedelic or progressive, rock which showcase Alex Kenny's impressive guitar work.

Find A Review

Alphabetical Index

a b c d e f g h i j
k l m n o p q r s t
u v w x y z #
New & Notable
Read the Lords Of Black: Mechanics Of Predacity Album Review

Once more we return to multi-national band Lords Of Black which features Ronnie Romero (v), Dani Criado (b), Jo Nunez (d), and founder, guitarist, and principal songwriter Tony Hernando. After a three year ... [ Read More ]