Curious who makes the rules? Then look at the new album by, ‘A Fine Frenzy’ ~ “Bomb in a Birdcage”

by R.P.M. on August 20, 2009

Alison Sodel aka 'A Fine Frenzy'

In almost two years after A Fine Frenzy’s debut album, One Cell in the Sea, which was released on 7.17.2007 a new album Bomb in a Birdcage for A Fine Frenzy is about to be released on August 28, 2009 in Germany and on September 8, 2009 in the United States.

A Fine Frenzy - "Bomb in a Birdcage"

Bomb In A Birdcage via Virgin Records.

A Bomb In A Birdcage Tracklisting:

1. Wouldn’t Do

2. New Heights

3. Electric Twist

4. Blow Away

Blown Away

5. Happier

6. Swan Song

7. Elements

8. World Without

9. Bird Of The Summer

10. Stood Up

11. Beacon

Simple enough, 2 albums in 2 years. A young girl who they say has talent, clearly the looks and whose first album was a critical darling, unlike “A Toxic Airborne Event” (whose article you can read there) or many others, that turn the corner and public opinion takes over. There is however a link between the two, however far apart their initial “critical” roots” began.

The same way T.A.T.E has over 2 million song downloads off of MySpace and a huge fan base despite the bashings, the way many bands now-a-days are able via digital and interactive media of connecting fans with artists of all kinds.

Twitter Addicts

Alison Sudol who is just 24 has over 1 million twitter followers. In fact, led by Alison, A Fine Frenzy have been among the top 10 most-followed musicians on Twitter for many months alongside the likes of Coldplay, Britney Spears and P Diddy.

Alison Sudol aka 'A Fine Frenzy'

How?

How does a girl who had an album that went from no where to Heatseekers #1 on Billboard (a way to track up and coming artists of all genres), Alternative #20 and #91 out of Billboard’s top 200 and in 2007, decent numbers, but certainly not the kind you would expect from one of the 10 most followed musicians on Twitter is it? When asked by Billboard about the twitter phenomenon she said this:

“It’s crazy how much it’s blown up. It’s something I did originally to keep my grandmother posted on my whereabouts, she was the only one I knew who paid attention to it in the early days, when no one really knew what Twitter was. It’s also just a great way of cataloging life, because as a musician on tour, you’re constantly in different places, and it’s easy for life to just blend in from one day to the next. So it’s pretty cool–I to write about evocative moments, something that will stand out in my head, something that I can look back on. And it’s also a great communication tool, people who are fans can see where we are, what’s happening, where we’re going. I also think it’s helped people find my music, I definitely know of people who have said they’ve never heard my music until they found it there. And that’s great–any way that people can find it, especially since there are so many bands out there, any way that you can stand out is really important.”

Her first album at 22, was promising, inspiring, drawing comparisons to Coldplay, Tori Amos the “experts” say. To us the Tori Amos reference is too obvious, merely because they are red heads who play piano.

Following the release of their album, A Fine Frenzy toured with Sean Lennon and Rufus Wainwright during late–July and early–August 2007, mostly along the West Coast. She then joined fellow Washington native Brandi Carlile for VH1’s “You Oughta Know” tour, featuring acts that the channel previously has deemed “You Oughta Know” artists. She also did a European tour.

Quite a lot for a 22 year old, who is sometimes referred to as shy, but also friendly. The perfect dichotomy that indie rock loves.

To me she sounds and sings more akin to Coco Sumner (whom you can hear at that link) or a French female musician cut from the same cloth of music named Coeur de Pirate (the Heart Pirate – a 19 year old French musician who is on the up and up) and more her age.

I also think of Natalie Merchant when she went solo – post 10,000 Maniacs and Imogen Heap vocally and lyrically. Either way, regardless of the comparisons she has the kind of passion that is generally what people want, a sincerity that makes you think.

When asked about the new album, “Bomb in a Birdcage” and the themes and differences from the debuts, Alison had this to say (Billboard)

I think it’s a much more extreme record, there are higher highs and lower lows on it. A lot more dynamics. There’s a lot more positivity on this record and lightness. It seems, especially in retrospect, to have a lot to do with the fact that I wrote pretty much all of the album during the day, with sunshine coming in through my window. As opposed to the other album which I wrote in a dark room at night by myself with no windows. So I think the album kind of reflects that.

Alison is voracious reader, who has spoken openly about her love of books and authors such as Jane Austin, C. S. Lewis, Ayn Rand and many more as you can read her take on some of her favorites here. A lot of her love of reading and learning and dedication to the arts came from her parents both teachers in dramatic-arts.

She even her own book club, she graduate high school at 16, self-taught in Piano and also learning the guitar. She loves to learn and in much of her music you will find literary, poetic and artistic illusions to the past, an almost Dennis Miller sense of wit, without the sarcasms.

Her stage name, “A Fine Frenzy”, is taken from a verse in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream ~ Theseus, Act 5, Scene 1 - “The poet’s eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven”.

In her own words about music and being a writer now she says,

“I think that music comes in waves and there was kind of a hole for a while there. There was room for singer-songwriters who are doing something that was more alternative and different and now, we seem to be rising at the same time. And I think it’s fantastic.”

So we see here, is not just a young precocious talent, but someone who believes in a something they are doing, something that the young are afforded while being young and finding their way. She has spoken of writing a children’s novel of the same ilk as C.S. Lewis’s Narnia/Prince Caspian chronicles.

Possibly all of that is what is so appealing about her besides the songs, the pretty vocals and the lovely bright red hair, and beautiful features, behind all the obvious there is depth and it bleeds into the music and it comes off honest. For me it reminds me of that age 22-ish, when I felt everything had meaning, when passion wasn’t just a word I used, but a sacred covenant with ourselves and something greater, more ethereal than us.

Alison Sudol or Alison Monro or A Fine Frenzy, who has been a singer songwriter, actress, musician, there is the kind of person most of us would want to know beyond the obvious reasons of looks and charms, something heard in the music that makes her special. She has a lot of growing to do and we are fortunate enough to get to witness her learning curve as she forms it into music or wherever her artistic talents take her.

For more information on her there is her MySpace page, her homepage where you can find links to her twitter and YouTube and this neat little fan site that has most all of what you would want if you are still,

`Curiouser and curiouser!’ cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English); `now I’m opening out like the largest telescope that ever was!

(Our nod to Lewis Carrol – Through the Looking Glass – p. 7 – something we are sure ‘A Fine Frenzy’ would enjoy.)

Below are some tracks from her initial album ”One Cell in the Sea“, a photo album and a gallery of videos to watch and enjoy that we think might or might not inspire you to buy this new album once it is released. We hope you do and we are certainly looking forward to her new album. Goto Amazon, iTunes, her personal homepage or a ton of other sources that will lead you back to Rome or in this case a place to buy “Bomb in a Birdcage”.

Please be sure to check out the [view with PicLens] or [view with Slideshow] by clicking on the link below for full 1080, amazing picture quality! And do not forget about the video slide show directly above, as we strive to bring you the best quality images and videos in all capacities.

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