Frost*. Life in the Wires

What does it sound like?:

The reason this review is late is a simple one; Frost* albums take a while to absorb and take in, especially when it’s a double, like this one.

Their previous release, 2021’s Day and Age, was something of a departure because it contained songs with no solos. I absolutely loved it but I know that wasn’t the case for everyone. Life in the Wires is a return to the band’s roots; a proper concept album with an absolute plethora of fantastic melodies, virtuoso playing and terrific songs. Oh, and a solo or ten.

Jem Godfrey, Frosts*’s leader, keyboard player and co-singer, puts out hilarious ‘the making of’ videos which give fans the background and timeline to the gestation of each album and for this one, we can see that it is very much his baby, especially as he has taken all of the lead vocals. The whole ‘double concept-album’ is obviously his passion and that shines through in the music.

Ah, yes; the music.

The songs are almost universally glorious. There’s an intensity in many of them but without too much of the heavy, complicated time-signature stuff which I know turns some fans off. Nathan King’s bass is always immaculate and John Mitchell’s guitar contributions, though pared back, (it’s an album thick with keyboards,) are still wonderfully welcome when they appear.
Godfrey’s keyboards are everywhere, (he is an avid collector of vintage synths,) and his engineering sits them perfectly in the mix.

This album also sees the return of, for me, the best British drummer currently working, Craig Blundell; and blow me if he doesn’t steal the show. The intensity of his playing in Life in the Wires pt.1 is an object lesson in modern prog-playing, yet never swamps the song. Craig is at the top of his game on this album and, as Godfrey said in one of the videos, it is so good to have him back.

Evaporator continues the melodic intensity with Jem Godfrey singing like his life depended on it, (he’s singing better than ever, 20 years after the band’s acclaimed debut, Milliontown,) before sliding into a beautiful slow track, Strange World, which was my first ear worm of the album; the first of many as it turns out.

The concept story, (Naio, a kid heading into a meaningless future in an AI world until he hears an old DJ (‘Livewire’) on an antique radio. Naio sets out to find the source of the signal and, he hopes a better life) fizzes along with Jem’s inevitable sense of fun punctuating Livewire’s pronouncements. Absent Friends is a gorgeous piano ballad which sets our hero on his journey and Life in the Wires pt.2 is the epic, 15-minute track that builds to the climax of the story and harks back to Milliontown in its ebb and flow, its rise and fall. It is a breathless, exhilarating experience, especially through good headphones.

The album has references back to its predecessor and musical nods back to Milliontown, especially in the sound and pace of the record. It is a triumph for a band who, although they are twenty years and five albums in, still sound fresh and hungry.

What does it all *mean*?

Milliontown is one of the most successful prog albums ever and is cherished by those who love its exuberance. With Life in the Wires, Frost* have reinvigorated that exuberance and have given their landmark debut a bloody good run for its money.

Goes well with…

This year’s release from Big Big Train, The Likes of Us, is my Album of the Year. Frost’s* Life in the Wires runs it very, very close. British prog is in rude health.

Release Date:

18th October 2024

Might suit people who like…

Melodic prog played by brilliant musicians and music which wears its influences proudly on its sleeve.

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