Don’t feel bad if you haven’t yet heard of New York-based based indie rock duo Frog. Their 2013 self-titled debut EP failed to make much of an impact in the United States, though Scottish music blog GoldFlakePaint and British webzine Drowned in Sound heralded the album as one of the year’s best.
Frog — Dan Bateman on guitar and vocals, Thomas White on drums — spent most of 2014 fine-tuning their sound with countless live performances and have seen fit to make their full-length debut with the rock-solid “Kind of Blah.” Recorded in an old bowling alley, the 11-track platter shows a great deal of promise.
Notes Bateman: “(The new record) was an attempt to engage modern musical ideas from a 1950s style of arrangement, and was a complete failure in that respect but a success in most others.”
Things get of to a so-so start with middling opener “All Dogs Go to Heaven,” but Frog soon find their stride with standouts like “F***king,” “Wish Upon a Bar,” personal favorite “Knocking on the Door,” “Catchyalater” and “Judy Garland.” Keep an eye on Bateman and White.
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