After exploring various diversions of his musical art-form, Left Cincinnati feels like a ‘return to form’ of the sounds Joe Frawley presented on his 2008 album “The Hypnotist“.
The desolate piano sounds from the opening track Plain Yellow Dress immediately bring you to deserted playgrounds of your mind, with cutup fragments and almost ungraspable vocal samples.
“Short stories for processed found sounds and piano, exploring the dreams and memories of an identity-shifting female protagonist”
I guess that’s an appropriate enough description for this album. The collected sounds on this album are closely related: they all share the strange, alienated impressions of memories of distant past, of travelling on and of leaving home.
The soundscapes can sometimes also be quite unnerving, especially in the overtly sexual references of some fragments. I sometimes find these samples uncomfortable, almost embarrassing, to listen to, as if they present sound fragments I was not intended to hear.
Since his first release (Wilhelmina’s Dream, 2006) Joe Frawley definitely has developed an immediately recognisable, personal – and different – style – which I suggest you check out!
The physical release of “Left Cincinnatti” is limited to 100.
But it can also be downloaded from Bandcamp (along with his other releases).
Joe Frawley also recently released “Angel Boxes“, featuring Rachel Rambach on vocals, as a free download.