Frankmusik Debut Album “Complete Me”
I first met up with Frankmusik, aka Vincent Frank, aka Mr. Mouth, aka Vincent Turner in East London, back in 2006. I was a guest Dj at an electro-clash party called Anti-Social, hosted by London art-vant garde royalty duo Yr Mum (Scottee) Ya Dad (Buster Bennett). Vincent was going by the auspicious nom de guerre Mr. Mouth and was about to perform for a room full of misfits, electro-nistas, and the odd, peculiarly placed banker types that lined the walls of the box-shaped Shoreditch gastro pub. Vincent came up and introduced himself. He was (and still is) this cute, tiny ball of energy, ready to show off and eager to please. When he hit the stage, the crowd didn’t exactly go wild, but what I remember most was he didn’t really care. He had done his thing, and somehow I kinda knew Mr.Mouth was a star. He knew it. And it would be just a matter of time before the other commoners caught up.
Three years later, Mr. Mouth, now known as Frankmusik, debuts his first album Complete Me. Gone are all the über trendy electro circle jerk tunes, replaced by pastiche, pure pop and, who knew, a whole lotta heart. I think I’m in love!
Two of the best tracks on Complete Me stand at opposite ends of the Vincent Frank’s relationship pendulum. Better Off As Two lyrically is the most clever. FM apologizes to a love interest for being ‘better off with you’- as oppose to the usual, condescending love songs that wallow in insincere self-deprecation, using cliche diatribes like ‘it’s not you, it’s me’. Fm turns the tables and lets it be known that being alone is not a possibility, being together is the only option. On Three Little Words, FM comes off a bit tool-like. With lines like ‘I know I’m with you, but this all might end. So save all the “I love you’s” and let’s not pretend’…Ouch! A little harsh! Clearly Fm knows what he wants, and he ain’t afraid to let ya know if he’s just not that into you. As anaclitic as these songs are, they’re easily the best dance tracks on the album.
Frank is cleary a child of the 80’s, sampling synth chords from punk band The Stranglers’ Golden Brown on When Your Around, Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly on ballad Vacant Heart, and the atypical blending of of one-hit-wonder group MARRS’ Pump Up The Volume on Time Will Tell, a tune that perfectly references the blissfully shambolic era of asymmetrical hair, square shoulder pads and unabashed useless sappy songs. Frank uses the bytes as a celebration of the decade that has influenced his unique sound and helped create his style that is reminiscent, but steers clear of being pejoratively repetitive.
On most of the tracks on Complete me, Frankmusik refrains from using gender specific pronouns when referring to his partners, leaving listeners with the option to begrudgingly insert themselves into the sometimes obsessive-compulsive, yet indubitable scenarios. It’s this awareness and acumen that sets Frankmusik far apart from the current plethora of pop stars that willfully flourish in their own shallow disconnective landfills. Frankmusik actually seems to have no problem showing off his vulnerability. And in a time where other “performers” try to shock us by showing off quick pics of their crotches and selling us nonsensical rumors of having extra sex organs, it’s pretty comforting to know that FM is there for us when all we really need is a cuddle.
Album Out Now!
Paisley Dalton
