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Frankel is the solo recording project of L.A. resident Michael Orendy. He plays and records everything himself, but this isn't lo-fi 4-trackery—these recordings are quite polished, so Orendy must have a pretty spiffy setup. Orendy is a skilled student of classic popcraft, building his songs from a base of vintage acoustic guitar and his breathy vocals. A bit of Elliott Smith influence shows on opening track "Pass Out," which also features some chilly keyboard sounds. "Don't Leave" has nicely echoey guitar and a pretty melody. There's a bit of sonic experimentation, like the nonstandard (and unidentifiable) percussion sounds of the moody "Method Actor" and the subtle spacy blips of disc closer "All Satellites." Even when the songs get sonically denser, like when the shoegazey guitars kick in halfway through "All Satellites," there's still a delicate quality to these recordings. Maybe a little too delicate; as pleasant as this disc is to listen to, when it's over, the songs evaporate without leaving much of a trace. (mike.03.06)
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