Review of Silverchair's 'Frogstomp'

By any conventional measurement Frogstomp is a good album. However when one considers that the songs on the album were written by a couple of 13-year-olds (lead singer Daniel Johns and drummer Ben Gillies), and that some of them were hurriedly composed to fill out the record, it is even more impressive. It is important to put Frogstomp in this wider context because only then can its strengths and weaknesses be properly gauged.

With this in mind the lyrics on all the songs, vehement and thoughtful enough already, come across as even more so. It is not patronising to say that Johns/Gillies really convey the depths of their emotions, as a brief lyrical survey reveals. "All the pain I feel/Couldn't start to heal" and "Hate is what I feel for you/And I want you to know that I want you dead" comes from "Israel's Son," while "Tomorrow" simply provides us with "I know you hate me." Then there's "[You will] Never see the boy/You'll only hear his heavenly cries" from "Faultline," which deals with the death of a child.

Continuing stops on this tortured road include "Pure Massacre," a song about pain in general. Specifically we are told that "death is all around" and "Families being torn apart/ Doesn't have to be this way." "Shade" is a song about being "used" and "abused" as the opening lines clearly reveal: "If you're hurt/Why don't you tell someone/Don't feel bad/You're not the only one." "Leave Me Out" is a criticism of the Bill Gateses of this world because "Greed is a sin," while "Suicidal Dream" is self-explanatory (though here are some of its darker thoughts: "I fantasise about my death" and "Help me, comfort me/Stop me from feeling what I'm feeling now").

Finally comes "Madman," mostly instrumental and completely frenzied, "Undecided," which deals with divorce (and includes the now customary moments of anguish: "They want you to drop down and conform/ They make your self-esteem fall"), "Cicada," which explains the traumas of growing up - "Growing up/It's like a civil war" - and "Findaway," which is one of the few positive notes on the album. Indeed after so much suffering and angst it's quite enjoyable to hear the band sing "But giving up just makes no sense/We'll find a way." And thus ends Frogstomp.

So the album is not the kind of fluff you'd expect from a group of young teenagers (such as Hanson). It is incredibly intense and dramatic, and this is much to Silverchair's credit. The only drawback is that the melodies don't match the honesty and power of the words.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic