Reviews

OhMyRockness profile

NYC music site OhMyRockness says “sparse, well-crafted dream-ish pop that slowly taps and swirls it’s way toward melodies of the haunting sublime…” http://www.ohmyrockness.com/bandbio.cfm?bandid=47537

Distant Correspondent debut MP3 posted

Hey again! Long time no post, again! So… it’s been what, six years since I came out with an official recording? EIGHT years? That can’t be true. Anyway, you might be aware I joined a band called Distant Correspondent and we’ve been working like mad on new music. We’ve got more than an album’s worth of material which no one has heard because we’re still looking for a label. But you can hear a taste now if you want! Please to be seeing this great article on Maura Magazine! http://www.maura.com/288/listen-to-distant-correspondents-merge

I’m a top tenner!!

It’s silly, but I was so excited to find out that Bob Mehr showed me a little love on this year’s top ten for the Chicago Reader.  I had been ego-surfing all the blogs with top ten lists, looking for my name and never seeing it, and thinkin’ "that’s what I get for releasing an album on November 15th!!" Oh of course it has to be a matter of timing, it couldn’t possibly mean they didn’t like my record enough, ha ha!!  Anyway it’s very cool and I can stop obsessing over it now.  :-) Also super SUPER cool that he placed M.O.T.O. at number one!!  Paul Caporino is the hardest working man in show business, and definitely the greatest songwriter I know doing that pop/punk thang.  There’s nobody on earth that deserves that spot more than him, IMHO.  All hail the Masters of the Obvious!!

SXSW showcase review in The Monitor (McAllen, TX)

A review by Stephanie Holmes that appeared in today’s Monitor…

A lovefest at this year’s South by Southwest

(…) Two of my favorite showcases Saturday were by homegrown Texans, Edith Frost and this year’s SXSW superstar Daniel Johnston. (…) With her ponytail and simple clothing, Frost, a traveling singer based in Chicago, comes off as a quiet country girl with a voice for duets. Her older duets with Jason Molina (Songs:Ohia) and Mark Kozelek’s solo work are my favorite.* (…) When she is on stage playing songs from her three Drag City records and others she’s collected along the way, she takes command, searing through songs and burning holes in your heart. (…) The oddest thing about these two fabulous Saturday shows is that both venues were packed but neither had long lines. (…) I have no idea why people did not turn out in droves for Frost, but I know that Johnston had so many showcases that there were ample opportunities to catch him. (…)

* I’ve never sang with Mark Kozelek. Never even met the guy.

Bellingham Herald show preview

A preview of the Seattle show by Tony Stasiek that appeared in the Bellingham Herald

Not knowing Edith Frost personally, it’s unclear what forces propelled her to trip out the loveably icy roots tinglings of her “Calling Over Time” CD into the mushy, psychedelic fuzz on her subsequent follow-ups. Thankfully, the Chicagoan has returned to form, releasing her trebly, bare-bones early demos as “Demos,” a CD available for full download at www.comfortstand.com. Hear them in person with Manishevitz, Sarah Dougher and Graham Travis at 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, at Graceland, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., (206) 262-0482.

The Rake show preview

A preview for the Minneapolis show that appeared in the December issue of The Rake

Despite her gritty alto, the Chicago-based Edith Frost seems convinced that God intended her to use her vocals as a pretty pop instrument. This peculiar voice, which she subdues until the most poignant moments, brings a sense of understatement to the waves of catchy melodies put forth by her back-ups. Frost’s compositions tend toward introspection and poetry, especially those from her 2001 release, Wonder Woman, an album basking in the beauty of simple chord changes and stark, confessional prose. Edith Frost’s live show is a retrospective of this newest, most mature work, as well as bluegrass covers and psychedelic soundscapes from earlier releases like 1998′s Telescopic (which included the college radio hit, “You Belong to No One”). 400 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis; 612-332-2903; www.400bar.com

(…The album is called Wonder Wonder dudes! Ha ha.)

St. Louis Riverfront Times preview

A preview for our 11/26/04 show at the Creepy Crawl that appeared in the St. Louis Riverfront Times. It was written by Christian Schaeffer.

No matter how hard it tries, St. Louis will always suffer from Chronic Little Brother Syndrome, forever in the shadow of its hipper, savvier older bro, Chicago. For St. Louis music fans, this fact is driven home by the number of great bands living and working in Chicago. This Friday finds two of that city’s finer acts sharing the Creepy Crawl stage, as Edith Frost and Manishevitz kick off their fall tour in our humble little town.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pitchfork review

Pitchfork Magazine just published a nice review of my free Demos release…

Demos review on Mundane Sounds

Joseph Kyle posted a nice review of my Demos album on Mundane Sounds.  He doesn’t seem quite as pleased with my studio efforts as he is with the demos, but oh well, can’t win ‘em all.

Aftonbladet review

My show in Stockholm got reviewed yesterday in Aftonbladet, one of Sweden’s biggest newspapers. I don’t really know what it says — I think they liked the show in general but since it was only a duo and not a full band, they only gave it 3 of 5 stars. Whatever dude, I played my best!

Read the rest of this entry »

SLC Weekly preview

A show preview by Bill Frost which appeared in the April 25, 2002 issue (Vol. 18 No. 48) of the Salt Lake City Weekly

Edith Frost
Friday, April 26 @ Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 320-9887, 8:30 p.m.

First off, no relation, OK? Edith Frost is a Texan via New York City and now Chicago, where she recorded Wonder Wonder (Drag City), a beautifully not-quite-country album that combines cowgirl longing and urban lust with stunning results — think Patsy Cline sharing a Lucky Strike with Liz Phair, among others. "I like it when people compare me to freaks like Syd Barrett," she says. "There are a lot of elements I want to put into my music that can’t be summed up by saying ‘country.’"

L.A. Weekly preview

A show preview by John Payne which appeared in the April 19-25, 2002 issue of L.A. Weekly. It’s previewing the show at Spaceland on Sunday the 21st.

Edith Frost gives new hope for those seeking that kind of introspective, country-tinged singer-songwriter stuff but who’re bored to tears with the way it sounds. Over the course of a few generally excellent Drag City albums, Frost has taken the form and given it goose, working with your all-stars of the post-rock scene including Royal Trux, Gastr del Sol, Eleventh Dream Day and High Llamas, and with producer* Steve Albini on the recent WONDER WONDER. A singer of subtly ironic affect, Frost skews her downbeatish songs with unusual chord progressions and idiosyncratic instrumental touches like subdued keyboard shards or her favored jaunty clarinets, which lends an inviting ambiguity to the jaded tone she uses to convey her rather personal heartbreak stories.

* Actually, Rian Murphy produced the album; Steve Albini engineered it.

SF Bay Guardian preview

A show preview by China Martens which appeared in the April 17-23, 2002 (Vol. 36 #29) issue of the San Francisco Bay Guardian

April 19 – Friday
Frost Bite

If you’re a fan of laid-back, melancholic country-style folk music, Chicago-based singer-songwriter Edith Frost is the gal for you. Sounding somewhat like indie vocalist Liz Phair, Frost — a devoted collector of cowgirl memorabilia — writes songs, most in a minor key, that examine love, especially disappointment in love. The gentle vocal phrasings on her third album, last year’s Wonder Wonder (Drag City), belie the frequent bitterness in her songs. In "Further" she sings, "Further down the ladder my brave fireman reaches out, he’s gonna drop me down and leave me further behind." Local indie trio the Court and Spark, Chicago band Central Falls, and Olympia’s Sarah Dougher also play.
9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $10. (415) 621-4455.

SF Weekly preview

A show preview (author unknown) that appeared in the April 17-23, 2002 (Vol. 21 No. 11) issue of SF Weekly

Though Edith Frost is now technically a Yankee (she moved from her native Texas to Brooklyn and then Chicago), the altcountry crooner still whips up folksy ballads that reflect her hometown roots. Her third full-length, Wonder Wonder, released last July, lives up to the promise of its title. Frost is characteristically melancholy, but this time around she lightens up considerably, penning quirky tracks that are occasionally downright playful. A talented singer/songwriter, Frost has always been open to experimentation. On Wonder, she tinkers with bells, violin, chimes, pedal-steel guitar, and harmonica, and the gamble pays off: These instruments form the perfect counterpoints to her expressive, brooding voice. Frequently compared to Patsy Cline, Frost bares all without shame, and in the process makes heartbreak sound so appealing that you’ll be tempted to pick a fight with your lover just to have a taste of what she’s going through. Fellow Windy City band Central Falls opens for Edith Frost at the Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St. (at Missouri), S.F. Sarah Dougher and the Court and Spark are also on the bill. Admission is $10; call 621-4455 or go to www.bottomofthehill.com.

Seattle show preview

A show preview by Nate Lippens that appeared in the April 11-17, 2002 (Vol. 11 No. 30) issue of The Stranger (Seattle, WA). Parts of the text seems to be recycled from his review of Wonder Wonder which appeared in the 8/9/01 issue.

Wednesday 4/17
Edith Frost, Carissa’s Wierd, Central Falls

(Graceland) Edith Frost’s debut, Calling Over Time, showcased her cool, clear take on Americana shaded with minor-key melodies reminiscent of an earthier mid-’70s Joni Mitchell. Its follow-up, Telescopic, was an atmospheric affair that displayed a bleary, introverted psychedelia similar to Syd Barrett and Skip Spence. With Wonder Wonder, Frost finds the balancing act between the sounds of those albums, more in league with her 1999 single Love Is Real. The dozen songs are subtly powerful, implying emotional depth rather than spelling it out. In person, Frost’s gossamer voice retains its otherworldliness; it’s alt-country from an alternate universe. She creates her own atmosphere with a sonic palette of skeletal arrangements that are the perfect bed for torchy balladeering.

Page 1 of 1212345...10...Last »