Frances

**** (4/5 stars)
Here's where the strings come in. And here's where the bass trombone and French horn come in. And now the clarinet. And the accordion. Frances are a quintet, but they have a lot of musical friends-- and they sound big without sounding grandiose on their debut EP. This waltzing song has a dream-like quality as leader Paul Hogan piles on the glockenspiel, piano, and everything else in thoughtfully applied layers. The verses have a mysterious, antique feel, like something that might have played as an old carousel spun endlessly by a boardwalk and people walked by at sunset in their Sunday best. Stephanie Skaff's porcelain vocals are perfect in this environment, and she's joined by Hogan for the huge, ascendant choruses. The orchestrations are sophisticated and complex, far more than your average window dressing, and as an opening shot, the EP this is drawn from is quite a statement. I can't wait to hear the LP. - Pitchforkmedia.com

"A great little record, with cool textures and atmospheres. These songs fit in with the dark fall nights, and the calendar slipping away from you." - Music For Robots

"Ironically referencing the "Star-Spangled Banner" in its opening bars, "It" is a song of frustration & helplessness. The low wheezing of the accordion, forced out in long drones lagging just behind the melody, is a nice reflection of the artist's frustrated attempts at communication." - Said The Gramophone

We've heard exactly four songs by New York City's Frances, and they're
already one of our new favorite bands.
- L Magazine

Music nerds love nothing more than discovering an artist who not only shares their own deep, unbridled love for the art form, but who proceeds to take it one step further, to a point where their entire existence is predicated on their ability to complete one particular work. Think about the Brian Wilsons of the world, the Neutral Milk Hotels, the Captain Beefhearts — they’re all known for one piece of career-defining work that almost put them over the edge. It would be presumptuous to make such a bold statement about Paul Hogan, who’s the mastermind behind Frances, but it doesn’t seem too far off, either. A frighteningly talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who’s working toward his doctorate in music at Columbia, Hogan previously released a solo record that was, oddly enough, titled Frances, and the band continues to play many of the songs contained on it, along with a handful of new ones. The material is beautiful and sad, centered around Hogan’s singing, but just barely; there are all sorts of horns and strings and toy pianos and pretty much everything else you can think of as well. It’s slow, dreamy pop music that makes you feel like you’re listening to something big that Hogan’s been trying to work out in his head for quite some time. Sounds to me like he has, but who knows… he’s the kind of musical mind you don’t want to doubt. - L Magazine

Frances are an indie rock band from Brooklyn who sound pretty darn promising to these ears. The band is led by Paul Hogan on vocals/keys/extras and includes Stephanie Skaff on vocals/melodica/glockenspiel; Nick Anderson on bass; Tlacael Esparza on drums; Brian Betancourt on guitar, Julia Tepper on vocals and violin and "The Francines" who are billed as a rotating cast of guest musicians on violin, viola, trumpet, trombone, tuba, French horn and clarinet.

One could say Hogan is an indie-rock renaissance man. A composer, producer and sound designer, Hogan is currently working on an opera and his doctorate in music from Columbia University. He's scored films, video games, commercials and instrumental music including chamber and classical. Not much more to say after that, heh?

Frances are a colorfully orchestrated and contemplative rock band. Hogan makes this little cosmic-orch-pop indie rock band come alive with an everything but the kitchen-sink instrumentation approach and crafty pop songs worthy of some serious recognition.

Lighthouse - Frances
Kettle - Frances
It - Frances - Recorded live.
Cousin - Frances - New demo.

Buy their Night Light EP , I did. - Some Velvet Blog

FRANCES PRESS:
Frances are a quintet, but they have a lot of musical friends– and they sound big without sounding grandiose on their debut EP...Sophisticated and complex, far
more than your average window dressing, and as an opening shot, the EP this is drawn from is quite a statement. I can't wait to hear the LP. 4 of 5 stars. #10 Track of 2006.
– Joe Tangari, PitchforkMedia

The emotional range, the self-confidently elegant gesture is already astonishing, reminding us of
currently adored bands like Arcade Fire or also The Decemberists. Frighteningly good.
– Der Spiegel (one of Germany’s most respected and popular pulications) [translation]

Think about the Brian Wilsons of the world, the Neutral Milk Hotels, the Captain Beefhearts…It would be presumptuous to make such a bold statement about Paul Hogan, who’s the mastermind behind Frances, but it doesn’t seem too far off, either. A frighteningly talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist… he’s the kind of musical mind you don’t want to doubt. – The L Magazine

The East Coast’s answer to Calexico – NY Press

Every so often, we come across an album that reminds us of
precisely why we make the effort. This is why we review every CD
we receive: for the chance to stumble upon inspiration in the form of random CDs...for the chance
to stumble upon an album like Frances. – Melissa Amos, Splendid Ezine

FRANCES is the name of the band led by Paul Hogan, who has a winning way of penning straight-up pop tunes and then orchestrating them (in a spare fashion) for six
players, who in turn render the songs on a spate of instruments." – Time Out NY

A great little record, with cool textures and atmospheres. These songs fit in with the dark fall
nights, and the calendar slipping away from you. – Music For Robots
Ironically referencing the "Star-Spangled Banner" in its opening bars, "It" is a song of frustration &
helplessness. The low wheezing of the accordion, forced out in long drones lagging just behind
the melody, is a nice reflection of the artist's frustrated attempts at communication."
– Said The Gramophone

As a vocalist, Paul Hogan of Frances reminds me of other lead singers like Ben Bridwell of Band
Of Horses or Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips. That's only the icing on the cake for this remarkable ensemble. – 5 Acts Blog

A darn good band if you ask us. The rich texture and arrangements never overwhelm the poppy compositions or Paul Hogan’s beautifully silky voice.
– The Deli Magazine

Frances are a colorfully orchestrated and contemplative rock band. Hogan makes this
little cosmic-orch-pop indie rock band come alive with an everything but the kitchen sink instrumentation approach and crafty pop songs worthy of some serious recognition. – Some Velvet Blog - Various Publications

Frances - All the While
Top 20 Debuts of 2008: No. 6
Top 50 Albums of 2008: No. 30
-Under The Radar
- Under the Radar

Sometimes vague genre labels actually do peg specific bands. AC/DC, for example, embodies cock-rock. The Rapture’s sound couldn’t really be called anything other than an even mixture of “dance” and “punk.” In my mind, Frances is the epitome of that strange little subgenre called "chamber pop." Granted, the members of this swingin' Brooklyn sextet might not see themselves that way. But to me they've overhauled a much trod-upon musical field -- and set themselves up as the standard to beat.



On the opening track of the band's full-length debut, All the While, horns, strings and piano all swell up in unison from the ether, soon joined by drums to punch a single chord into submission. Singer, keyboardist and nominal band leader Paul Hogan guides us through the first few verses before his female cohorts, Julia Tepper and Stephanie Skaff, take the reins on a gorgeous chorus section.

“All the while, the world is slowly caving in,” they sing, sweetly enough to gloss over the doomsday sentiment.

And all the while, the group’s various musical implements are breaking off from the main melodic figure, contributing clever little phrases to the bigger picture. It’s undeniably pop, but with the agility and depth of a cinematic score. The result is the sort of hooks that grab immediate attention but bloom in complexity with repeated listens. It wasn’t until my fifth play through that I really started to pick up on all the hidden nooks and trapdoors contained within these songs.

It’s a major credit to Hogan and friends, who use their varied instrumentation for more melodramatic fireworks. A laughing gaggle of woodwinds provides the main draw to the nostalgic bounce of “Telephone,” strings lend vital shading to the swooning ballad “Tomorrow Gold,” and the band even crafts its own version of the apocalyptic “A Day in the Life” crescendo on “The New Decoy.”

Really, the only thing holding this group back is the singing. When cast against the album’s sumptuous instrumental backdrops, Hogan, Tepper and Skaff’s vocals seem especially thin and wobbly. They make do within their limitations, however. The track “Steady” also earns some unexpected bonus points for a lead vocal performance that sounds like a dead ringer for the Velvet Underground’s Moe Tucker.

Those concerns aside, All The While nails its grand aesthetic. It never descends to the pomposity of similar artists like the Divine Comedy, but still forges a friendly marriage between accessibility and mystery. Call it “chamber pop” or just call it like it is: a phenomenal debut album. - Prefix Magazine

Beängstigend gut. - Der Spiegel