Every time a Frankie Machine single arrives, I get a rush of excitement only for that to be quashed by pure fear. And the arrival of '54th and 3rd', the third release is no different. Having heard and loved the first two EPs, there does seem no way this new single can live up to my expectations.
Of course, I have been known to be wrong and have no shame in saying so because the man has done it again. Title track '54th and 3rd' is a seemingly effortless tale of lost love ("you left your mark, you left a permanent tattoo, I wonder why the wonder’s gone") building everything up as it repeats. Anyone vaguely emotionally unstable should definitely stay away. A far more simple record than its predecessors, but equally as beautiful. '54th and 3rd' however does appear to lack the humour which usually accompanies the pain which frees Frankie Machine of the pretension that may be expected with the usual acoustic miserablism.
However all is not lost; the humorous element is resurrected in B-Side 'Animated Still' ("If you’re ever dreaming and you get that damp warm feeling, maybe you’ve wet the bed or been dreaming about me again") despite remaining on a similar subject matter to the title track.
The final track 'The Equal and The Opposite Attract' shockingly features an electric guitar! Shocking? Well yes quite frankly seeing as Frankie Machine have always been purveyors of all things acoustic. And I’m not sure it even does this track any favours, as this is defiantly the weakest Frankie Machine track I’ve heard (mainly due to the tremendous quality of the other tracks rather than this here track being horrific to listen to).
On the whole the B-sides lack the cohesiveness and instantaneous quality of either the 'Why Are You?' or 'Cartesian Product' EPs, but all this doesn’t matter in the slightest because the boy done good; here’s a single with more honesty than a world wide lie detector test. No record collection should go without this glorious blue vinyl.
Drowned In Sound May 2001
Once I learnt Frankie Machine were playing Upstairs @ The Garage as part of the Silver Rocket club, I HAD to be there in order to lose my live virginity to the machine. And with The Warm Jet's first live appearance since the Reading Festival 1998 and the much acclaimed Mountain Men Anonymous, you can only imagine my excitment as we waited in the cold queue in Highbury for doors to open.
For the first act, Francis Albert Machine has recruited two friends to help him out. The set includes new single '54th and 3rd' alongisde tracks from the debut EP 'Why Are You?'. Each song is delievered beautifully elegantly, but tragically manages to become background music to the incessant talking of the crowd. One day they WILL understand.
Live Review.
Upstairs@The Garage, London May 4th 2001 Drowned In Sound.
Review by Sara El-Hanfy
We have an ironist in house tonight in the shape of Frankie Machine's centre stage guitarist - sporting a CBGB's T-shirt. I'm not sure if the Machine's winsome songs of heartbreak and regret would have got Johnny Thunders wet around the crotch though. Even in the intimate surroundings of the Rising Sun (imagine if you will, a small house, bands play in the living room, and a bar in the kitchen - groovy) Frankie Machine are, for all intents and purposes, completely drowned out.
With two acoustic guitars and one keyboard they're barely audible above the hubbub. They know it too, cheekily telling the audience that they'll "have to be quiet for this one," which turns out to be another gem, a 4am confessional, an attempt to articulate emotion, an attempt to explain made all the more charming for the fact that we know you never can.
Shoegazers who interact with the audience, stool rockers who forgot to bring their stools. They're retro for sure, but brim over which genuinely moving self-effacing charm. They can come round my house anytime, I promise I'll be quiet.
Live Review.
Reading Rising Sun Arts Centre March 2nd 2001
http://www.o-reading.co.uk
If you had suffered in the pursuit of amour, if your heart had been rent in two, if the very life had been sucked from your soul, if you had ever lain by the telephone into the early hours willing it to ring, if you have ever been so emotionally decrepit that you'd cried when Postman Pat found a stray kitten.. If. If so then you'd still be several floors up from the desperation basement where Francis Machine is strumming his guitar and struggling to get his half-whispered words out between choked-back sobs.
Splendid Ezine June 2001
http://www.splendidezine.com
So, a promising night? Definitely. An empty promise? You’re having a giggle ain’t ya? Frankie Machine kicked off the night in leisurely style with their self-proclaimed creamy mix of acoustic melodies and straggling keyboard sequences. Nice mellow opening. Maximum enjoyment, minimum effort and all that malarkey. No need to jump to impress.
Purr Club Gig Review 3rd May 2001
http://www.purr.org.uk
