Review: The Frenz Psychomagik EP

by That One Guy

Although this review will no doubt prompt a “What I think of Wanz Dover” Comments Section free-for-all, The Frenz’ new-ish Psychomagik EP offers a strong reminder that one of THE SCENE’s most polarizing figures has been involved and making interesting music since before many of his detractors were, as my grandma would put it, knee high to a grasshopper. Predating the full-fledged band lineup currently appearing as The Frenz live, this largely instrumental EP is the product of Dover’s original conception of The Frenz as a nom de release for over a decade’s worth of mainly solo “studio experiments,” reflecting a wide cross-section of the musical styles he has dabbled in over the years.

Opener, “The Truthkillers,” is the biggest sore thumb of the bunch, getting things off to a pretty non-indicative start with a noisy crash of tribal drumming, loud guitars, (possibly) a didgeridoo, and some highly processed vocals that I can only describe as Danzig-esque (circa the live version of “Mother”). With that bit of “TV On The Radio on a bad day” business out of the way, however, Psychomagik takes a decidedly dreamier and, to my ear, more appealing trajectory that reflects Dover’s long espoused twin loves: psychedelic guitar music (especially of the shoegaze variety) and the hyphen filled world of IDM (Intelligent Dance Music, obviously). The title track and “Das Schloss Des Lebens” are definitely the most “dancey” selections on offer here, with the former being a downright club friendly track vaguely reminiscent of a quality UNKLE remix of some early 00s guitar band, and the latter being the nicest slice of neo-Balearic prog disco that I’ve heard recently. “The Sea Is Me (Snowblind Mix)” is the serious IDM ambient track, and it would have been a perfect accompaniment to a cold bottle of water and a backrub in a comedown room somewhere ten years ago. Sadly, thrust outside of that context and in to 2008, it probably just sounds boring. The remaining two tracks, “Kraterz” and album closer, “Fon The Seducer,” are straight shoegaze / space rock / whatever-we-are-retroactively-calling-it-this-month tunes of the more noisy and dreamy variety, serving as a good reminder that Dover has been doing this kind of thing, and doing it well, since the mid-90s.

In the end, Psychomagik definitely has the overall feel of the grab bag, cleaning out the closet exercise that it is, but you’ll probably find at least a couple of tracks you enjoy on it. Considering this is the first of six Frenz EPs that are purportedly being released during the first six months of 2008 (the rest in the next two months, I guess), by late June you’ll be able to cobble together your own twelve-track Best Of The Frenz album. You could even throw their new remix of Radiohead’s “Nude” (think Burial with more jazz piano) on as a bonus track. I smell the perfect aging Dallas/Denton scenester Fathers Day gift!