REVIEW: Frank Bango, Fugitive Girls (Not Lame)
- Scott Slonaker
In some alternate universe, if Elvis Costello had a kid brother who wasn't very political and preferred languid acoustics to taut electricity, his name could have been Frank Bango. Another high-quality pop-oriented release from Not Lame Records, one of the finest small independent labels in these United States, Fugitive Girls is somewhat of a concept album about a romance between the singer and some unnamed girl.
The first song, "Candy Bar Killer," marries a layered mid-tempo melody to Bango's lilting, slightly nasal vocals. The first couple of listens might see it pass by without comment, but once it strikes like the killer referred to in the lyrics, watch out! It turns out to be the most memorable track. There are a handful of uptempo tunes, such as the Beach Boys bounce of "Ape" and the British Invasion bop of "Instamatic," but much of Fugitive Girls opts for a quieter pace, heavy on introspection in tracks like "Blue Sweater" and "Building a Better Plaything." While the Costello vibe is strong throughout, "There Was A Sweetness" sounds like a downright outtake from Painted From Memory.
A particularly interesting thing about Fugitive Girls is that Bango does not write most of his own lyrics. His partner Richy Vesecky handles that job, and does a good job avoiding the typical hey-girl-yeah-yeah-yeah retro-pop lyrical cliches. In fact, Vesecky's work may be what truly makes the album stand out from a host of comparably agreeable (but not memorable) indie-pop releases. The interesting lyrical portraits help temper Bango's more grating vocal nasalities and keep him from being in the forefront all the time.
If you bought Elvis Costello's collaboration with Burt Bacharach, but, like me, couldn't get past the non-pop/rock arrangements and wished for a little more Spike after a few spins, Fugitive Girls might be the tonic you're looking for. Bango's compositional ability and Vesecky's lyrics go quite well together, and this album puts them on display.
