When Michael Orendy, a.k.a. Frankel, put out Lullaby For the Passerby (QRO review) back in 2007, he played all the instruments, and created a good but actually over-varied record. However, for his follow-up, Anonymity Is the New Fame, he’s wisely narrowed & honed his approach. Much more restrained & haunting, Orendy still keeps a wry attitude to things, as exemplified by the title & title track, which starts an airy wry & an echoing haunt, but grows nicely. The following "Ticket Machine" and "Faux Science" keep up that quality, the former a sixties folk-haunt ‘sad song about a beautiful girl’, the latter a smiling but ironic relaxed sixties-pop.
From that very strong one-two-three, Anonymity does slip, as Orendy plays things nice, but a bit too simple, on pieces like "Nowhere", "Weary Mind", and "When I Grow Up". But then he ends it with "The Royal We", which is stripped to a memorable echoing voice, though does go on a bit too long (and can really make you sleepy…). Whether Anonymity will knock the Los Angeles native into Fame is debatable, but he would deserve it.
MP3 Stream: "Anonymity Is the New Fame"
