If you stuck Morrissey in a room with Caribou, then there’s no doubt they’d create music that sounds similar to Layers and Frames. Fredric Brewer, the brainchild behind Layers and Frames, is a French-American instrumentalist and singer who really catches his audiences attention with a load of beautiful repetition, and a recognizable sound that warms your heart. Fredric writes and creates music on personal experiences from traveling the world and his own personal philosophies. Layers and Frames was privileged to record his latest album ‘Infinite Release’ through Studio MGO in Vendee, France, under the supervision of Gérard Thouret.
Fredric starts off his latest album with a song called ‘Crossing’. The lyrics really speak about self-empowerment and morality. He sings about how we have the power to shift and control the path we take in life, and how we as humans have great control over what we do. In the midst of deep lyrics, Layers and Frames provide us with beats that have an art of their own. Each beat puts you into a relaxing state of mind that allows you to soak up the truth in the song. It rests you into a deep slumber allowing you to think that nothing else matters in the moment. “Is it brainwashing or hypnotizing” you might ask? No, but it’s certainly mind altering. Strange… yet enjoyable. It was certainly a great way to get me locked into listening to the rest of the album.
Another interesting thing that you should know about Layers and Frames is that he has traveled the world. He spent four years in China and served in the Peace Corps. It’s pretty evident to me that his second song off the album entitled ‘I Could Just Sit Here’ was highly inspired by past travels. The beat starts off deep and is a great ear catcher. He uses lyrics that really talk about life and perspective and I think it’s super cool to see how open and accepting he is of others beliefs. This is definitely a good song for anyone who wants to kick back and think about life. He often reminds me of Alt-J which is really awesome because Alt-J rules.
Lovely Seeds is the third track and it starts off with a really laid back melody, and he sounds a lot like Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Divison. He has a really nice stretch to his voice which reminds me of a spectacular church choir. The beat continues to be sharp and on point. This tune really gives off a flowing river image which I think Layers and Frames shoots for. A lot of his music runs parallel with art and how each song creates a very specific image in your brain. Overall, I think this might be my favorite track.
The last two songs are ‘Take Control’ and ‘Infinite Release’. These two songs are very similar in many ways. When I hear them together, they blend perfectly. You often forget that they’re two separate songs. They both have psychedelic vibrations that project a load of imagery and seclusion. Fredric sings about individuality and in ‘Infinite Release’ he says how we need to “release the chains from our mental prisons and open our eyes see we’ve been socialized to accept a binary thinking system…everyone is an individual.” I think it’s very intriguing how honest he is with his listeners on how we all need to think for ourselves. In a world where we are being pushed and pulled in so many different directions, it’s good to know that there are people like Fredric who stand tall and preach about being an individual to people. Kudos to you, Fredric.
Overall, this album was fantastic. Frederic has an amazing voice, his beats are detailed and on point, and his message projects a sweet image and leaves you with deep thoughts. This is definitely one of those albums that you should listen to if you need to re-evaluate some situations or problems in your life.
OFFICAL LAYERS AND FRAMES WEBPAGE
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