Where do I even begin with this one?
For years now, I’ve been receiving physical and electronic mail from one Frank Coleman, a man who’s been kicking around the Northeast underground music scene for ages — typically behind a drumkit for the likes of The Bentmen, The Ancients, and Satellite Paradiso. These communications have been related to a project of his called Secret Agent. I love Frank and am always delighted to dive into whatever he’s got going on, but he sure doesn’t make it easy for me.
You see, Secret Agent (naturally) is shrouded in great secrecy, sporadically revealing itself through emails (ahem, “transcripts”) and packages full of redacted information and stiff language that begs for a decoder ring. Song titles are often nonexistent, and the project’s latest release, [Redacted], appeared in my inbox in enough incarnations-in-progress to make whatever faint amount of hair I had left fall out. It’s all a bit too murky and frustrating for a busy journo with an overwhelming schedule and a desire to get all the info right now, but I’ll never stop playing into Mr. Coleman’s antics. Why? Because the guy’s an enthralling oddball who always delivers something exquisite.
Putting all the cheeky quirkiness of its presentation aside, [Redacted] is an extraordinary collection of music. More Keith LeBlanc than John Bonham, Coleman creates a rhythmic world that employs various spoken samples, techno beats, and adventurous instrumentation to achieve the impossible feat of harkening back to the mid-’80s heyday of Tackhead, Coil, and other electronic-based alchemists while sounding at least a decade ahead of modern times. As far as highlights… well, the song with the blank title is great, as are at least four other songs with blank titles. Oh, and of course, there’s that other song with a blank title that easily steals the show.
For fuck’s sake, Frank.
To make matters even more WTF, two tracks do have actual titles. “Rio” is a thrilling romp through Henry Mancini territory, while the fantastic “Secret Agent Theme Song” concludes the entire affair with stomping drums and Nat Nebula’s sultry and perfectly retro ’60s spy drama-style vocals. Other guests on [Redacted] include Robert Holmes ('Til Tuesday), Duncan Kilburn (Psychedelic Furs), and pianist John Chmaj.
Oh, I should add there’s a different version of the album, known as Director’s Mix, available exclusively on Bandcamp. You know, to keep things coherent and straightforward. (The standard version is available on all the usual platforms.)
For years now, I’ve been receiving physical and electronic mail from one Frank Coleman, a man who’s been kicking around the Northeast underground music scene for ages — typically behind a drumkit for the likes of The Bentmen, The Ancients, and Satellite Paradiso. These communications have been related to a project of his called Secret Agent. I love Frank and am always delighted to dive into whatever he’s got going on, but he sure doesn’t make it easy for me.
You see, Secret Agent (naturally) is shrouded in great secrecy, sporadically revealing itself through emails (ahem, “transcripts”) and packages full of redacted information and stiff language that begs for a decoder ring. Song titles are often nonexistent, and the project’s latest release, [Redacted], appeared in my inbox in enough incarnations-in-progress to make whatever faint amount of hair I had left fall out. It’s all a bit too murky and frustrating for a busy journo with an overwhelming schedule and a desire to get all the info right now, but I’ll never stop playing into Mr. Coleman’s antics. Why? Because the guy’s an enthralling oddball who always delivers something exquisite.
Putting all the cheeky quirkiness of its presentation aside, [Redacted] is an extraordinary collection of music. More Keith LeBlanc than John Bonham, Coleman creates a rhythmic world that employs various spoken samples, techno beats, and adventurous instrumentation to achieve the impossible feat of harkening back to the mid-’80s heyday of Tackhead, Coil, and other electronic-based alchemists while sounding at least a decade ahead of modern times. As far as highlights… well, the song with the blank title is great, as are at least four other songs with blank titles. Oh, and of course, there’s that other song with a blank title that easily steals the show.
For fuck’s sake, Frank.
To make matters even more WTF, two tracks do have actual titles. “Rio” is a thrilling romp through Henry Mancini territory, while the fantastic “Secret Agent Theme Song” concludes the entire affair with stomping drums and Nat Nebula’s sultry and perfectly retro ’60s spy drama-style vocals. Other guests on [Redacted] include Robert Holmes ('Til Tuesday), Duncan Kilburn (Psychedelic Furs), and pianist John Chmaj.
Oh, I should add there’s a different version of the album, known as Director’s Mix, available exclusively on Bandcamp. You know, to keep things coherent and straightforward. (The standard version is available on all the usual platforms.)
All kidding aside, I love this album and concept to pieces. Frank’s the kind of creative mad scientist the world needs to take art and sound in new directions, and [Redacted] is easily the most enjoyable experimental journey I’ve taken in ages. So, take a listen (preferably blindfolded, as the album cover recommends), and then head over to the band's official website to see if you can figure any of this stuff out.
EMAIL JOEL at gaustenbooks@gmail.com
