Search - Frodus :: We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea

The perfect capstone on a unique career

Zachary W. Snow | Agoura Hills, CA | 04/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is exactly the record Frodus SHOULD have made at this point in their career. It is delicate and jagged, polished and raw, easy to love and hard to grasp. It is the perfect amalgamation of who the band members are and were. If you loved the corporate identity and government paranoia swirling in "Conglomerate International," then look no further than "There Will Be No More Scum," "The Awesome Machine," or the absolutely brutal "Year of the Hex," which is punishing both in music and lyrical content: "I unfold to face myself. Laugh at those who laugh at the dead. The night echoes through ghosts of businessmen. Do not sell all you are for all you think you see, my pretties." Yowza. No wonder the album cover features the three band members wearing protective masks. "Out Circuit the Ending" is a wonderfully subdued piece that evokes the past as much as it welcomes the future. But as much as this is an album they SHOULD have made, this is not an album anyone would have EXPECTED Frodus to make at this point.



There is something about "Weapons" that wasn't even hinted at on "Conglomerate" or any other album. And it may have something to do with a woman named Alanna. She was bandmember Jason Hamacher's fiancee, and she died of cancer in 1999, as the band was writing for their new album. The emotional fragility that resulted is evident in "6/99," a touching remembrance of loves lost. The vulnerability present on "The Earth Isn't Humming," "Chiriacho Summit," "Belgian Congo," and the title track is an unexpected, albeit unquestionably welcome facet of "Weapons." It's almost bizarre to hear such candor from a band that was previously known for its obsession with aliens, corporate America, and science. But it's beautiful. Heartbreakingly so. And if there's nothing here as loud, fast, and raw as on "FCI," so be it. The leap between this album and it's predecessor is phenomenal, almost mutant. It's the kind of evolutionary step that only comes from cataclysm. This is the healing process."

Their Best Yet

Nick Danger | New York, NY | 04/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"AND WE WASHED OUT WEAPONS IN THE SEA (not "T") is the pinnacle of Frodus' history as post-punk-spazz-core-yadda-yadda-yadda geniuses. This record defies generic definition. Bassist Nathan Burke's melodic background shows more in this album than the last, as both vocalists take breaks from screaming to serenade a spellbound audience. From ambient to hard-rockin', this record shows how far hard work and persistence can take a band.Is track 4 what the kids are calling the math rock?"