Roddy Frame: Surf : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Roddy Frame is a great songwriter whose career has consistently been tripped up by less-than-great producers. After a phenomenal start with Aztec Camera's folksy, minimalist 1983 debut, High Land Hard Rain, things went distinctly awry -- despite containing some of his best compositions, 1984's Mark Knopfler-produced Knife and 1993's Ryuichi Sakamoto-helmed Dreamland were straddled with terminally unfashionable synthesizer washes and Simply Red slap-bass effects. For his second solo album, however, Frame regains his senses. Surf is a collection of intentionally under-produced acoustic ballads recorded at close range with Frame's yearning voice and gingerly plucked guitars serving as the only instruments in the mix. It's infinitely lovelier than his most recent work, once again putting the gorgeous melodies of songs like "Mixed Up Love" and "Small World" at the forefront. But it also sounds strangely sanitized -- as if the years of polish have rendered Frame thoroughly grit proof.

AIDIN VAZIRI
(October 8, 2002)