Greetings, Spirit of Cecilia readers! In this post, Brad Birzer and Tad Wert discuss a classic prog rock album that is a mutual favorite of theirs: Frost*’s debut, Milliontown.

Tad: Brad, I have you to thank for making me aware of this wonderful album. I think you mentioned it in some social media post years ago, and I replied, “What’s Frost*?”. You immediately sent me a link to a video of Jem Godfrey and Dec Burke playing an informal duet performance of Hyperventilate, and I was hooked. Fortunately, I was able to snag a copy of Milliontown before it became unavailable. 

So, Brad, to paraphrase John J. Miller, host of The Great Books podcast, “What makes Frost*’s Milliontown a great album?”

Brad: it’s always good to start with John J. Miller, bookmonger extraordinaire and a man possessing excellent taste in music!  He’s also great to have a beer with.  Someday, Tad, we have to get you up to Hillsdale so you can meet your true brothers!

As to what makes Milliontown such a great album–there are, throughout the album, a million things going on at once, and it all could’ve readily have devolved into pure chaos.  But Frost* always holds all things together.  Indeed, it’s the genius of the band.  And, by the time we’re immersed in the opening track, “Hyperventilate,” we’ve been happily flooded with a wall of sound as well as outrageous digressions.  Again, though, it all comes together as a beautiful whole.

I’m really glad I sent you that video of Godfrey and Burke.  To me, that clip captures the essence of Frost*.  Playful yet professional. 

Back to Milliontown as an album.  Strangely, the first time we hear a human voice on the album, it’s a distorted recording that opens track two, “No Me No You,” and then the singer sings with absolute urgency.

Things slow down considerably with “Snowman,” track number three.  This song has almost a ballad feel, something that could’ve been from Genesis’s And Then There Were Three.

Things revive, rather seriously, with track four, “Black Light Machine.”  Yet, the lyrics are dark–about a psychopath.  The lyrics here really get into Steven Wilson territory.  Still, this is probably the poppiest song on the album, even though it’s a little over 10 minutes in length.  Again, a paradox of Frost*–combining the poppiest tunes with the darkest lyrics.

The hyperness of Frost* continues with the penultimate track of the album, “The Other Me,” a funky prog song, sounding a bit like Thomas Dolby and a bit like mid-period Tears for Fears. [the order of these songs, by the way, is different on different releases of the album.  My review, here, reflects the song order as on 13 Winters]

And, of course, this brings us to the greatest track of the album, the magisterial 26-minute, “Milliontown,” Frost*’s equivalent of “Supper’s Ready” by Genesis.

So, Tad, what makes you think this is a great album?  And, what are your thoughts about the individual songs?

Tad: Brad, for me the test of whether an album is great or not is simple: do I listen to it again after my initial experience of it? When I get a new album, I typically enjoy it for a week or so, giving it half a dozen spins. After that, it gets filed away and I’m unlikely to pull it out again. Some albums, though, stand the test of time, and I never tire of them. Genesis’ Abacab, Yes’ Going For The One, Big Big Train’s The Underfall Yard (among other BBT masterpieces), Glass Hammer’s Ode To Echo, Spock’s Beard’s V, Gazpacho’s Night, Steven Wilson’s The Raven That Refused To Sing are all albums that I return to again and again, and I always find something new to delight in. Milliontown also falls into that group.

I think it’s the perfect balance of pop appeal with the – as you so aptly put it – barely controlled chaos that makes this album so compulsively listenable. “The Other Me” is a great example of this – it features a chorus that begs to be sung along to, while underneath all kinds of weird noises are percolating and bursting out at odd times. Atonal, screaming guitars compete with beautiful piano lines, while the vocals veer from a whisper to a scream. It is a raucous, glorious roar of music, and I love it.

“Snowman” is another favorite. As you mentioned, it slows things down, with its very simple, almost childlike melody, but I’m a sucker for a pretty tune, and this is one pretty tune! Jem Godfrey’s production is perfect, keeping things relatively spare and open, which allows the vocals to feel more intimate.

I agree with you that “Black Light Machine” is very poppy, and I love that. It’s just an aural rush of exhilaration, which, of course, belies its dark subject matter. No matter, I enjoy every second of its 10+ minute length. Dec Burke’s guitar solo is outstanding here, as well.

And then there is the epic title track. Wow! Burke’s vocals at the beginning are simply haunting, while Godfrey’s keyboards carry the gorgeous melody. I am in awe of how so many perfect melodies spill out in the course of this one song. Godfrey was definitely plugged into his muse when he composed this song. The time flies by every time I listen to it –  there’s a frantic, swirling climax of everyone hurtling to a final whoosh!, and when you think it’s over, Jem closes things out with a very sweet coda on solo piano.

In his notes to the reissue set of Frost*’s first three albums, he says that he wasn’t happy with the original mix of Milliontown, so he rerecorded some parts and remixed it. I have to agree that as good as the original version was, the new version that was released in 2020 is better. 

Like Glass Hammer, Frost* has featured a rotating cast of members, but the one constant, Jem Godfrey, has meant that there has always been a recognizable Frost* sound. I think the current guitarist/vocalist John Mitchell is a terrific partner for Godfrey, but Burke’s work on Milliontown is superb.

Brad: Wow, Tad, this is an awesome response.  You really nail the genius of Frost*. Thanks for your comments about the individual songs, especially.

And, you’re right, of course, the band really centers around Jem Godfrey and his rotating cast of brilliant musicians.  

Have you had a chance to listen to Island Live yet?  “Milliontown” sounds just as wonderful live as it does in the studio, though the vocals are a bit muted on the recording.

I’m also in complete agreement with you about what makes a great album.  I’m with you–most albums get a few weeks of time on my playlist, then get filed away.  I have shelves as well as boxes of CDs–my favorites displayed in a glass cabinet.  

Certain albums, though–and your list is very close to mine–find themselves in constant rotation, and I come back to them frequently.  I would also put Milliontown in that constant rotation category, though, frankly, every Frost* album fits in this category.  I probably come back to Falling Satellites and Day and Age as often as Milliontown, especially when I’m on not infrequent long car drives.

A few months ago, I posted my top 200 albums–all ones I consider more than mere moments of time.  Frost* featured prominently.

I’m eager to know what the band is doing next.

Tad: Brad, I just finished listening to Island Live, and you are right – it sounds wonderful. The 2-cd/Blu-ray is already sold out, and it just came out in June of this year!

I also listen to Falling Satellites and Day and Age as often as Milliontown – the former is more pop, albeit a far more elegant strain than what passes for “pop” today – while the latter was my favorite album of 2021. Mitchell’s love of classic Police really comes through on that album.

Well, Brad, I think we’ve done Milliontown justice – I hope readers who are unfamiliar with it are moved to check it out!