Return of the Frog Queen

Last updated
Return of the Frog Queen
RTotFQ.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 23, 1996 (1996-07-23)
Genre Orchestral pop [1]
Length29:27
Label Sub Pop [2]
Producer Greg Williamson [3]
Jeremy Enigk chronology
Return of the Frog Queen
(1996)
World Waits
(2006)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Pitchfork 7.8/10 [5]
Wall of Sound 80/100 [6]

Return of the Frog Queen is a solo album by Jeremy Enigk, recorded following his brief retirement from music due to the temporary split of Sunny Day Real Estate. [1] It was recorded with a 21-piece orchestra and released in 1996. [7] It has a slower and quieter sound than Sunny Day Real Estate's often-bombastic albums.

Contents

The album was recorded after Enigk converted to Christianity; this conversion had been originally thought to have brought on the disbanding of Sunny Day Real Estate, which was later cleared up as a smaller part of more internal struggles in the band. Sunny Day Real Estate reunited in 1997, when they released How It Feels to Be Something On . The sound of that record furthers the mellower sound developed on Return of the Frog Queen.

According to the 1997 Sub Pop mail-order catalog, Lou Barlow, of fellow Sub Pop band Sebadoh, cited Frog Queen as his favorite album of 1996.

Critical reception

Trouser Press called the album "magical," writing that "other than some Beatlisms, the record occasionally suggests how Syd Barrett might have sounded had he been able to mount a full-fledged production effort, but there’s so much else going on here that any sense of nostalgia quickly evaporates." [8] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide wrote that "Enigk and his keening, crackly tenor forge an intriguing recording reminiscent of early '70s British psychedelic pop." [3] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide called the album "dazzling, if enigmatic, orchestral pop." [9] In its review of the album's reissue, Pitchfork wrote that Return of the Frog Queen's "orchestral grandeur helped shape indie rock's future." [5]

Track listing

  1. "Abegail Anne" – 3:01
  2. "Return of the Frog Queen" – 3:30
  3. "Lewis Hollow" – 1:58
  4. "Lizard" – 3:14
  5. "Carnival" – 4:03
  6. "Call Me Steam" – 2:48
  7. "Explain" – 3:29
  8. "Shade and the Black Hat" – 4:58
  9. "Fallen Heart" – 2:22

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nate Mendel</span> American bassist

Nathan ‍Gregor ‍Mendel is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist for the rock band Foo Fighters, as well as a former member of Sunny Day Real Estate. He has also worked with musical acts The Jealous Sound and The Fire Theft. He has released one solo album, If I Kill This Thing We're All Going to Eat for a Week, under the name Lieutenant. Aside from the Foo Fighters' lead vocalist and founder Dave Grohl, he is the second longest serving member of the band, and appeared on nine of the band's studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Goldsmith</span> American musician (born 1972)

William Goldsmith is an American drummer best known as a member of Sunny Day Real Estate and former member of Foo Fighters. Currently drumming for Assertion, he has toured with Mike Watt and IQU, performed on many recordings, and played live with several bands and artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunny Day Real Estate</span> American emo band

Sunny Day Real Estate is an American rock band from Seattle, formed in 1992. The band currently consists of founding members Jeremy Enigk, Dan Hoerner (guitar) and William Goldsmith (drums), alongside Greg Suran (guitar), who originally played with the band between 2000 and 2001, and Chris Jordan (bass), who joined the band in 2022. Founding bass guitarist Nate Mendel was a member of the band during three of its four incarnations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fire Theft</span> American rock band

The Fire Theft was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. They were formed in 2001 by vocalist/guitarist Jeremy Enigk, bassist Nate Mendel, and drummer William Goldsmith, all of whom were previously members of Sunny Day Real Estate. Mendel also plays bass for Foo Fighters, and Goldsmith drummed for Foo Fighters between 1995 and 1997. This lineup of The Fire Theft was three-fourths of the original personnel of Sunny Day Real Estate, with guitarist Dan Hoerner not rejoining his former bandmates.

<i>How It Feels to Be Something On</i> 1998 studio album by Sunny Day Real Estate

How It Feels to Be Something On is the third studio album by American rock band Sunny Day Real Estate, and the first following their 1997 reunion. It was released September 8, 1998.

<i>Sunny Day Real Estate</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Sunny Day Real Estate

Sunny Day Real Estate is the second studio album by American rock band Sunny Day Real Estate. The band's label, Sub Pop, distributed the album under the title LP2. Due to its simple pink cover, the album is often referred to as "The Pink Album". It was the band's final release to feature founding bassist Nate Mendel until their single "Lipton Witch", released in 2014 after their third breakup.

<i>The Fire Theft</i> (album) 2003 studio album by The Fire Theft

The Fire Theft is the debut and only studio album by American rock band The Fire Theft. This album was released September 23, 2003, through the independent record label Rykodisc. In September 2019, the service Run Out Groove made a poll on their site to test demand for vinyl reissues of their catalog, with one of the choices being The Fire Theft. The album won out, and was subsequently remastered and reissued with new artwork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Enigk</span> American musician

Jeremy Enigk is an American singer-songwriter, vocalist and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist. He is known as a solo artist, a film score composer, and as the lead vocalist, bassist, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist of the Seattle-based bands Sunny Day Real Estate and The Fire Theft.

<i>Diary</i> (Sunny Day Real Estate album) 1994 studio album by Sunny Day Real Estate

Diary is the debut studio album by American rock band Sunny Day Real Estate. The album is considered by many to be a defining emo album of the second wave, and also key in the development of its subgenre, Midwest emo. It has also been called the missing link between post-hardcore and the nascent emo genre.

<i>The Rising Tide</i> (Sunny Day Real Estate album) 2000 studio album by Sunny Day Real Estate

The Rising Tide is the fourth and most recent studio album by American rock band Sunny Day Real Estate. Following the release of Live, the group left independent label Sub Pop for major label Time Bomb Recordings, and changed from a quartet to a trio. The band spent a month working on material through jamming, eventually resulting in around 30 songs. They began recording at Dreamland Recording Studios in West Hurley, New York with producer Lou Giordano at the end of 1999. The Rising Tide is an arena rock album, with elements of progressive rock and symphonic rock; the lyrics includes references to rain, angels and the ocean. Individual tracks drew comparison to Rush, Yes and Doves, while frontman Jeremy Enigk's vocals were compared to Yes frontman Jon Anderson and U2 frontman Bono.

<i>Unforgettable... with Love</i> 1991 studio album by Natalie Cole

Unforgettable... with Love, also known as simply Unforgettable, is the thirteenth studio album by American singer Natalie Cole. Released on June 11, 1991, the album includes covers of standards previously performed by her father, Nat King Cole. It was also her debut for Elektra Records, after being given her release from EMI Records.

<i>Casanova</i> (The Divine Comedy album) 1996 studio album by the Divine Comedy

Casanova is the fourth studio album by Northern Irish chamber pop band the Divine Comedy. It was released in 1996 by Setanta Records, and it happened to be the band's commercial breakthrough. It was certified Gold in the UK in July 1997, aided by the release of the album's first single, "Something for the Weekend", which reached No. 13 on the charts. Two other singles released from the album, "Becoming More Like Alfie" and "The Frog Princess", charted at No. 27 and No. 15, respectively.

<i>Brother, Sister</i> 2006 studio album by MewithoutYou

Brother, Sister is the third studio album by indie rock band mewithoutYou, released on September 26, 2006 through Tooth & Nail Records. It features guest vocal and instrumental appearances by several artists, including Jeremy Enigk, harpist Timbre, and members of Anathallo and the Psalters. From August 9, 2007, Burnt Toast Vinyl were taking pre-orders for an LP-format version of the album. The album features an abundance of symbolism, much of which is tied to animals; at least one can be found in the lyrics of each track.

<i>World Waits</i> 2006 studio album by Jeremy Enigk

World Waits is the second full-length album by musician Jeremy Enigk, following Return of the Frog Queen (1996). World Waits was released October 17, 2006, on Enigk's own label, Lewis Hollow Records.

<i>Cool Yule</i> 2006 studio album by Bette Midler

Cool Yule is a first holiday album by American singer Bette Midler. It was released on October 10, 2006, through Columbia Records. The album features many standard Christmas tunes as well as a reworking edition of her Grammy-winning hit "From a Distance". In 2008, Cool Yule was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category.

<i>Will Power</i> (album) 1987 studio album by Joe Jackson

Will Power is the eighth album by Joe Jackson. Released in 1987, it is his first experiment with classical music, continued in later albums including Night Music, Heaven and Hell, and Symphony No. 1.

<i>OK Bear</i> 2009 studio album by Jeremy Enigk

OK Bear is the title of the fifth release by Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk. The album was recorded outside Barcelona during the year 2008.

<i>The Sound of Music</i> (The dBs album) 1987 studio album by The dBs

The Sound of Music is an album by American power pop group The dB's, released in 1987 on I.R.S. Records.

<i>The Missing Link</i> (Jeremy Enigk album) 2007 studio album by Jeremy Enigk

The Missing Link is the title of the fourth release by former Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk. The album was self-produced by Enigk and Josh Myers and mastered at West West Side Music by Kimberly Rosen. The album was made available for download through the iTunes Store on August 14, 2007, and was officially released on August 21, 2007.

<i>This England</i> (album) 2012 album by the Oregon Symphony

This England is a classical music album by the Oregon Symphony under the artistic direction of Carlos Kalmar, released by Dutch record label PentaTone Classics in November 2012. The album was recorded at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon, at five performances in February and May 2012. It contains works by three English 20th-century composers: Edward Elgar's Cockaigne , Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 5, and "Four Sea Interludes" and "Passacaglia" from Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes. The recording was the orchestra's second under Kalmar's leadership, following Music for a Time of War (2011), which also included works by Britten and Vaughan Williams. This England received positive critical reception but failed to chart.

References

  1. 1 2 Ankeny, Jason. "Jeremy Enigk | Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  2. "Return of the Frog Queen (Expanded Edition)". Sub Pop Records.
  3. 1 2 3 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide . Visible Ink Press. 1999. p.  389. ISBN   978-1-57859-061-2.
  4. Rabid, Jack. "Return of the Frog Queen - Jeremy Enigk | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Fallon, Patric (June 2, 2018). "Jeremy Enigk: Return of the Frog Queen". Pitchfork . Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  6. Remstein, Bob. "Review: Return of the Frog Queen". Wall of Sound. Archived from the original on April 15, 2001. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  7. Seling, Megan (June 14, 2018). "Jeremy Enigk Looks Back at His Lush Solo Debut Return of the Frog Queen". Nashville Scene . Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  8. Sprague, Deborah; Robbins, Ira. "Sunny Day Real Estate". Trouser Press . Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  9. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. p. 793.