Toronto – Bomb in a Birdcage is the latest album from the band A Fine Frenzy. The group is fronted by red-headed Alison Sudol and this release follows up their debut, One Cell In The Sea. The sophomore effort is a well assembled piece of singer-songwriter fare that exudes innocence.

While this album has decidely more edge than the first, it remains within the same realm. This is a good thing. If anything, it demonstrates a logical evolution from the debut. Ms Sudol and her band have grown more comfortable with each other and the result is a natural and balanced sound.

If we were children I would bake you a mud pie
Warm and brown beneath the sun
Never learned to climb a tree but I would try
Just to show you what I’d done
[lyrics from What I Wouldn't Do]

The opening track What I Wouldn’t Do somehow manages to evoke both images of a nostalgic childhood that I never quite experienced and a graceful aging that I merely hope to. This album is creatively assembled with playful lyrics  throughout.

Second albums are a difficult stress test for any band. If the first is commercially successful, then the expectations to produce something that is better and  new, but not too new can be great. Bomb in a Birdcage is a solid sophomore effort that has passed this test with flying colours.

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