The Earthly Frames - Taped Over

Although The Earthly Frames' Taped Over is listed as a group effort, founder, Gabriel Walsh, sings its songs, as well as playing bass, guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, harmonium, and drums. Calling him a multi-instrumentalist would be an understatement, to say the least. This doesn't keep The Earthly Frames from sounding very much like a band effort, however. He had the help of a fiddler, accordionist, uilleann pipes player, another harmonica player, a trombonist, a tuba player, a violinist, and a cellist. The result is quite the orchestrated effort.

Folk music is the general term often used to describe The Earthly Frames' music, but one titled "Stay Strangers," with its jangling electric guitar, has a touch of the psychedelic running through it. Originally from Maryland, The Earthly Frames is an act with a fragile sound, which makes sense, as humans can oftentimes be fragile beings. The music can be sad at times, and never less than serious. One titled "Dying, Yet Gaming," sounds like it utilized many of Walsh's guest musicians, in that it has the overall sound of orchestrated melancholy. One of the album's brighter moments is "Irish Goodbye," which applies plenty of Celtic sonic style to its feel. It's performed with plenty of fiddle instrumentation.

The album's title track, "Taped Over," is a banjo-driven piece. It also closes out the recording. It has a bit of a bluegrass spirit applied to it, even though it's slow and relatively sad. It's just one of eleven experimental pieces from a wide ranging, fascinating set. Gabriel Walsh has gathered together a large group of musical friends to create a quite memorable effort.

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