Sebastian Thomson appears to be The Frequency, having written the songs, performed on nearly all the instruments, done the programming, etc., so, this self-titled album is pretty much a solo effort -- it's even self-recorded and mixed. Samples, programmed loops on keys, snappy beats, goofy overdubs, neat sounds, vocal effects; all mix to make a techno-pop-dance, a jungle-icious gumbo. Thomson has it going on as far as the New Wave sound is concerned (can you still call it "New Wave," or has it changed to some other convenient moniker?) None the less this is quite a tour de force for this type of music -- interesting songs are sometimes hard to come by in this genre, and it seems that anyone with casual skill at looping and keys can kick out a CD of mediocre quality. That said, however, this disc avoids the usual pitfalls of this kind of recording and actually kicks some butt. Sebastian must have some pretty good "traditional" music skills to make this thing rock like it does. He understands dynamics (which in itself is huge in this genre), and the songs move through at a pace that encourages continued listening. If you like this type of music, this disc has a bunch to offer and could be used by like-minded bands as a good example of what to do. Congrats to Thomson for a fantastic effort at putting out interesting music in a style too often flooded with lackluster music, talent, and products. This thing rocks. I especially enjoyed the arrangements. (BW)
(Noreaster Failed Industries -- 2406 Phillips Drive, Alexandria, VA. 22306; http://www.nfilabel.com/; The Frequency -- http://www.thefrequencymusic.com/)