Ahead of the release of new album ‘Whatever We Probably Already Had It’ (order via Audio Antihero Records here and listen to new single ‘Something to Hide’ below), Tom White of Queens, New York lo-fi rockers Frog talks us through five albums that have shaped the band’s sound.
After a lot of reflection, I have determined that these five albums are at the core of my approach to part writing in Frog. If we were to shoot my guiding light through a prism it would shine these albums out the other side.
Enya – ‘Watermark‘
Let’s start at the beginning. This came out when I was one, and as soon as my brain was able to store experiences it was attaching this music to all of them. My entire emotional palette is derived from this album, for better or worse. Either way, it makes the rest of this list pretttttttty obvious. I also desperately love Clannad.
The Cranberries – ‘Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?‘
Boom! Enter The Cranberries! My big sister LOVED them and so I did too. Frog played (read: ransacked) Dreams to introduce a new act when we were a backup band for a improv comedy show. I think we used up most of the time slot allotted to this particular act, but holy smokes we laid it all out there. Best over-reach of my life.
Garbage – ‘Garbage‘
Same story here. Big sis started to rock a bit harder and so I jogged along behind her. This is amazing music, and I can’t wait for their new album.
Joni Mitchell – ‘Both Sides Now‘
Fast forward to when Love, Actually came out. If you’ve just groaned and rolled your eyes, please do not buy the new Frog record. Don’t even steal it. It’s just not for you. Maybe you can have the guitar parts separately, but I think Danny has my back on this even though he doesn’t really like this album from Joni Mitchell. Anyway, this popped on to my radar when I first saw the movie and sent my Watermark-ed psyche in to another dimension.
Kate Bush – ‘50 Words for Snow‘
Alrighty, last lap, and this is the endurance music. When this masterpiece reaches the titular track, you have to dig deep. If you come out the other side thinking, “cool, what’s the next amazing song going to be about”, you are me. Please come help me write drum parts.
