Test Spin: Frankenixon

I was a little weary to review this CD, especially when glancing over the track list, I noticed songs entitled, “Testes” and “Ovaries.” Thankfully, the songs ended up not being odes to the named body organs but rather surprisingly interesting instrumentals. And that’s how I would describe this CD as a whole, a surprising and interesting mix of slow melancholic jazz and fast moving rhythms. I excused and finally accepted the unrefined vocals, citing their aim raw production as a possible factor. Lead singer Evelyn Finch more than makes up for her weak voice with dual duty on the piano, a driving force throughout the disc. After getting past the first song, I warmed up to the CD, and found a bit more than I expected. “Don’t Give Me a Reason” is perhaps the liveliest number, and is funny with its witty lines, “I’m not normally an angry person/ but right now I want to smack you/ don’t give me a reason.” It seems one of the band members with um, testes, took over vocal duties on “Take Four,” a surprise oddity with hearty rock riffs. “Sell Me” is another comical track almost mocking the band’s humble beginnings and their chances of gaining the spotlight. Reading up on this group of five from Ames, Iowa, the musical collaboration seems to be a fun side project and creative outlet for the members, as all of them have other means of income. This is reassuring, for I’d feel bad if this were their only livelihood. Depth Perception is a nice try, but the line, “Keep your day jobs” comes to mind.

Archived article by Sophia Asare