Frog Eyes: Tears Of The Valedictorian

Since the dawn of the '00s, Carey Mercer's manic troubadour-rock collective Frog Eyes has been recording songs that careen through what Greil Marcus first called the "old weird America," which Canadians seem to know better than anyone. Tears Of The Valedictorian may be Frog Eyes' most accessible album, if only because Mercer sings as much as he yelps, and pulls back the reins on the band's thrashy, bashy art-folk long enough to let some melody creep in. There are even echoes of Squeeze and Springsteen in songs like "Evil Energy, The Ill Twin Of…", though any pop influences are overwhelmed by Frog Eyes' maelstrom of carnival organ, percussive distortion, and Mercer's preacher-on-speed vocals.