p r e s s

411mania.com Album review

I have a little friend named Paco. I'm not sure where he's from, but it's got to be someplace in Central America, because on one occasion he did confirm that he does not hail from Mexico. I'm guessing it's either Honduras or Panama. Don't ask me why. I've been to both countries, as well as all the other Central American countries, and gut instinct is pointing to Panama or Honduras. The point to this is that at times, Paco comes along with new music for me to sample. He tries to give the best description he possibly can. Sometimes, I think he tries to trick me a little, though. With this release, Your Secrets Are Mine Now, he told me, "it sounds like David Bowie." Paco knows me well enough to know that David Bowie is likely my favorite band/musician. So of course I was curious. Gimme, gimme ... So I started listening to the first track, "Open Up the Patio (Pretty Girls Are Back in Style)," and instantly thought ... Read the rest of the review

Bit Me Zine Album review

Wow, apparently Ad Frank thinks he's the world's best ex-boyfriend. Well, we'll just have to see about that. Ad's fourth solo album starts with "The Five Days We Were Friends". It's a melancholy piece that spews bitter views towards relationships past. The title track is a groovy little ditty reminiscent of '60s beach party fare. "Car Fascist" is one of those ass shakin' pieces, and "Lucky" is a fine little ballad. The album's breezy pop tunes are inspired by Adam's various loves, and the tales unfold via witty, clever lyrics. To say the least, Ad Frank Is The World's Best Ex-Boyfriend is an interesting album that spans the gamut of glam, new wave, and alt-pop. This disc shimmies through a plethora of styles with ease. It's punchy, moving, and on occasion it will make you dance. ~ NIN

The Weekly Dig Apr 27, 2005
VERDICT: TOP FOP DROPS HOT CROP OF HEART-STOPPING POP

The carefully cultivated career of girl trouble that has framed Ad Frank's ascendance to local crooner extraordinaire (best represented so far on his Girl Trouble CD of two years ago) has landed him in the doghouse. His new chunk of wispy, sparkling pop is a survey of schisms, fuck-ups, awkward silences, indecencies and all sorts of other afflictions that get in the way of love proceeding perfectly. Ad's songwriting has stepped up yet again, generously mixing sonic textures and emotional colors without getting gaudy (see Stephin Merritt) or extraneous (looking at you, Rufus). He has a knack for elevating simple annoyances into elegant significance-take "Car Fascist," which viciously disses peeps that offer you a ride home, only to keep you waiting around while they say their good-byes. Each "fuck-off" is for real. Annoyance is a symptom of love here-as slight skirmishes and irritations are frequently central (take "If I Find Another One of Your Bobby Pins in My Bed, I'm Coming By to Shove Them Up Your Ass," for example). He even disses nosey haters on the Noise Board! But it's not all nasty. "Unspeakable" is a delicate roadhouse slowdance that could easily soundtrack a sloppy French kiss between mismatched lovebirds in a John Hughes movie. For all the glitz and sedated glamour, Ad Frank has made a charming, down-to-earth record about why love sucks (and sucks us back in). [MICHAEL BRODEUR]

Boston Globe Calendar Apr 15, '05

"There's something to be said for sticking to what you do well," confesses pop fop Ad Frank. And what Frank does well is write incredibly catchy songs about getting his heart kicked around Union Square like a Hacky Sack. The title of his third (sic) album "Ad Frank is the World's Best Ex-Boyfriend," hints strongly at its contents, namely greakups, sobbing, heartbreak, more sobbing, and disappointment. "In order for me to write a proper album, I have to really screw myself up, or have someone do it for me," he says, hlaf joking. "I think the people who get my music can simultaneously take it seriously, which is exactly what I do." The title of the new album comes directly from a diary entry of a woman Frank says he dated for three months, and then spent 15 months breaking up with. Because he has one of the most emotive voices in pop, these saongs are a natural fit for Frank's quivering tenor.

Rochester City Weekly Mar 23, '05

So much for judging a book by its cover. The artwork for Ad Frank is the World's Best Ex-Boyfriend shows Boston-based singer-songwriter Ad Frank (in a cape, no less!) slumped against the wall, looking pathetic, with a bottle in his hand and "hangover" written all over him. You hope the album's as cool as it looks, and it's even better. With song titles like "If I Find Another One of your Bobby Pins in My Bed, I'm Coming By to Shove Them Up You Ass," Ad Frank certainly isn't short on wit or bite.

Luckily, he's no one-trick pony, so wise never turns into wiseass. Thanks to an impressive ability to present familiar aspects of '80s pop in a fresh, modern frameword - and present them diferently from song to song - Frank is able to heap on the self-deprecation without risking self-parody. Some songs make fun of being heartbroken. Others dive right in and wipe the grin off your face with beautiful melodies and sheer woe.

Frank's distinctive voice doesn't hurt either - picture David Bowie crossed with Linda Perry and you're getting close. Cape or no cape, incoherent face-in-the-toilet heartbreak has a new hero in Ad Frank, and you'll still respect yourself in the morning after going a few rounds with his new record." - Saby Reyes-Kulkani