Milliontown
Frost* begin Milliontown with a piano figure and then let an instrumental track make the introductions. Hyperventilate is a bold opening because it asks the playing to establish the band's personality before a singer can do the work. The bright keyboards, changing accents and guitar responses make that personality clear very quickly.
The record's most appealing quality is its enthusiasm. Jem Godfrey's production gives each sound a vivid, sometimes artificial sheen, and the performances seem eager to explore every corner of it. There is a strong attraction to complexity, but also an equally clear understanding that a melody should remain recognisable after its first appearance.
No Me No You changes the mood with a firmer rhythmic push and a more confrontational vocal. The transition gives the album useful friction after the opening instrumental's expansive welcome. Snowman is a smaller, more subdued piece, with keyboard textures and a restrained beat creating a feeling of loss that the voice does little to disguise.
The Other Me adds another abrupt change through its harder guitar sound and electronic character. These shorter songs give the record range, although they do not all have the same depth as the two extended pieces that follow. The brightest production choices can also make an intimate feeling seem presented at a slight distance.
Black Light Machine brings the album's strengths together. Its opening guitar pattern provides an immediate attraction, the vocal melodies give it direction, and John Mitchell's solos develop the emotion rather than merely filling a designated space. The later instrumental movement feels like a release of energy already stored inside the song.
The title track occupies almost half an hour without depending on one continuous escalation. Different sections offer their own melodic centres, with keyboards and voices helping the longer design stay connected. Some turns are more involving than others, but the ambition generally results in music with a clear sense of movement.
Milliontown makes elaborate progressive rock sound excited about its own possibilities. Its most convincing moments combine the pleasure of a strong hook with the surprise of an arrangement that keeps finding another way forward. Black Light Machine offers the fullest version of that promise, and the surrounding record gives it a colourful, distinctive home.
