Don't Listen to that Other Guy!
10/04/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is, by far, The Frosted Ambassador's best record yet! Gone are the plodding heavy-metal rhythms, the weird chanted/screeched pseudo-gothic chanting, the black Satanic monks' robes, and the nearly pornographic and extremely embarrasing self-confessional lyrics of past albums. What remains is a pleasant amalgam of "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn"-era Pink Floyd psychedelia and warm Beach Boys harmonies. Charming! And the Ambassador's graciously allowing the buyer to name the vague suites of melodic insanity allows me to name track 2 "Ralf and Florian In Hawaii" (since it sounds like early Kraftwerk on vacation someplace fun)! This may not sit well with their old fans, but for the rest of us, this is a must buy CD! What are you waiting for? Whip out that credit card!"
Who is/are this/these person/people?
jack lippold | st. louis | 09/29/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Although a mystique shrouds this record, most will be able to figure out that this is an Olivia Tremor Control side project. Clues, of course, being the name lifted from a track from the 1st OTC release and the eerily recognizable W. Cullen Hart drawings adorning the sleeve. But, unike the other OTC side project - Black Swan Network - this is NOT a full-time ambient exsursion. Despite the lack of song titles, the 12 selections here are actually SONGS, possible structure and hooks and even vocals and lyrics. Although not as adventurous as OTC - even in pop mode - those who like the poppy side of OTC will find this a worthwhile purchase."
Not all experiments succeed
A. Temple | Ann Arbor, MI | 04/06/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The Frosted Ambassador may or may not be Olivia Tremor Control drummer Eric Harris in disguise, so comparisons to OTC are unavoidable. True, there are some sound effects lifted from _Black Foliage_--most audibly the theremins on track 3, but also the whooping sirens in track 7, which are also hidden somewhere in "A Sleepy Company." True, there are a few psych-pop moments. But, overall, the album doesn't sound particularly OTC-ish. The first track opens, for example, with a techno-like drum machine pattern, which is quickly joined by repeated chromatic pattern on a toy piano, then real drums, then electronic organ, and so on. By the time the vocals come in, there are so many instruments that they're practically inaudible. The song is quirky, and actually, quite good. Unfortunately, the album as a whole is not up to this standard. Every track is an experiment of some sort, and some of them do succeed, like the Nintendo-like track 6, or track 10, which, ought to have been called "California Demise 4." Another standout is track 3, which alternates between spiky, noisy avant-sound-collage and aggressively rocking bass. Some of the other tracks, however, particularly 5 and 7, are repetetive and get boring very quickly. And some of them are based on concepts that could have been cool but wind up just seeming dopey, like tracks 2 and 9's ad nauseam repetition of the phrase "more butter; another chair" over what seem to be cheap Casio keyboard synths. Overall, I would estimate about half of the album to be worth listening to, and the other half completely forgettable."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1