Frankie and the Witch Fingers is a modern psychedelic garage rock band originally from Bloomington, Indiana, and has since moved to Los Angeles. I’ve seen the band mentioned numerous times on sites like Reddit, but I’ve yet to listen to the band. Their description on Apple Music is interesting, as it describes the group as being garage punk with psychedelic rock flavors from the ’60s and ’70s. This album, Sidewalk (2013), seems to be the group’s debut album based on their Bandcamp page; the album is listed under tags such as rock, funk, fuzz pop, krautrock, prog rock, punk, and rock-n-roll on Bandcamp. I’m pretty excited to give this one a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Sidewalk” starts out with some really interesting reversed instrumentation that gets increasingly punkishly chaotic. Oh wow, the track drops into a really groove garage punk sounding groove. I’m really digging the jangling of what sounds to be a tambourine in the backdrop. I’m sort of reminded a bit of both the more punk-oriented tracks from The Stooges and The Cramps. Oh wow, I’m really digging the sort of psychedelic droning that goes on between the bass and what almost sounds like a synth of some sort in the backdrop for a moment. Oh wow, I really dig the classic garage rock sound of the guitar work in this song. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
“You Got It” gets going right away with some strong garage rock chords from an electric guitar and some jangling from a tambourine or something similar. Oh wow, I’m really digging the bass line in this track, as it makes the chords from the guitar and the soundscape sound massive. I’m kind of reminded of both The White Stripes and the Ty Segall & White Fence album I listed to recently. Super sweet track.
“Bad Vibes” gets grooving with a super groovy garage rock chord progression from the electric guitar that brings in classic garage rock flavors from the Los Angeles scene in the mid-to-late 1960s. I’m also kind of reminded again of The Stooges in this track. Oh wow, it sounds like there are some organs in the backdrop of the soundscape that add a really groovy layer as the drums, bass, and guitars seem to gradually pick up increasingly heavier garage punk rock sounds. Holy smokes, the track comes to a really groovy, punk-infused crescendo at the end. Great tune.
Holy smokes, “Ferris Wheel” has an easy-going psychedelic garage rock-sounding groove at the start of this track with some reversed guitar sounds and a gradually churning bass line/rhythm guitar that creates a really groovy flowing sound with the drums somewhat reminiscent of The Black Angels. I’m really digging the guitar work in this track. The rhythm guitar and bass play a really interesting mixture of chords that create a really dynamic feeling between the high and low notes in the chords. Great track.
“Doctor” gets started with a big-sounding wall of garage punk rock sounds that feel like a punk rock version of modern psychedelic rock outfits like Kingdom of the Holy Sun. I’m really digging this track. As the jams continue on I’m reminded more and more of the more punk-oriented songs from The Cramps. Super sweet track.
“I’m Messed Up” gets grooving with some really sweet garage rock flavors that almost sound tinged by surf rock in some sort of modern version of Los Angeles garage rock. I really dig the layering of the vocals and the guitar in this track, which seem to accentuate one another nicely, at times bringing out the sweetness in one another, and at other times seemingly making each other sound grittier and more intense. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “You Wanted My Love” gets started with an almost laid-back modern Los Angeles garage rock groove that I’m really digging. Oh wow, the instrumentation gradually picks up in intensity and becoming more punk rock-oriented. Oh wow, I’m really digging these vocal lines in this track. Holy smokes, the bass line really gets a nice groove going that almost allows the rest of the instrumentation to surf on top of it. Holy smokes, there’s a really groove guitar solo near the end of the track that almost seems to enter surf rock territory with these classic garage rock-sounding lines. Great track.
Holy smokes, “Toke” gets grooving with a mixture of big waves of sounds and sweet grooves with a jangly garage rock sound that reminds me a ton of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. I really dig the flowing grooves from the bass line and churning guitar chords while the drums almost seem to trail behind them at times with some sort of groovy echo that reminds me a bit of The Black Angels, especially as the tambourine gradually shakes alongside the flows. Great track.
“Cops and Robbers” gets started with a really groovy sound that has a mixture of garage rock and punk rock flavors right away with the gritty instrumentation, strong drive from the drums, while the vocals seem to continually feed into the chaotic energy of the track. Oh wow, the track sort of deconstructs in a really interesting somewhat psychedelic manner at the end of the song. Super sweet tune.
“Cocaine Dream” gets started with high-octane energy from the tight and fast combination of the drums and bass, while the garage rock guitar plays chords into the soundscape in a manner that reminds me of Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades”. Oh wow, the track seems to become increasingly chaotic as the song continues along. I really dig the vocals in this track, which nearly become screams at times. Super sweet track.
“Mermaids” starts out with a really interesting medley of garage punk rock sounds that are presented in a somewhat psychedelic manner. Oh wow, the track really builds on itself nicely as the music continues along. The jangliness of the tambourine reminds me a bit of the sleigh bells from The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog”. I really dig the intensity of the vocals in this track. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Thinking About You” has a really sweet groove from the flowing garage rock guitar chords that seem to be coaxed along by the reliable beat. I really dig the vocals in this track, which are incredibly sweet with a sort of Los Angeles sunset over the ocean garage rock quality that relieves a lot of tension that I didn’t even realize had built up with the intense punk rock flavors of some of the previous tracks. Holy smokes, the vocals almost have a sort of enchanting quality to them in how sweet they are in this track, especially alongside the flowing grooves from the bass line and electric guitar. I really dig the sweet vocal harmonies for the chorus of the track. Holy smokes, a guitar sounded like it had been gradually working its way into the soundscape, and now it’s playing a super groovy garage rock solo that really has that Los Angeles sunset over the ocean quality that I mentioned before, almost as though the guitarist is catching the final wave as the sun sets across the horizon. Holy smokes, the end jam of the track is super groovy. Wow, awesome track and a great way to finish up the album.
Holy smokes, this album is super sweet. There were a really groovy mixture of garage-oriented flavors that could range from the psychedelic garage rock style of The Blues Magoos to the garage punk rock stylings of The Cramps, while almost getting into a flowing psychedelic garage rock style somewhat reminiscent of groups like The Black Angels and/or Kingdom of the Holy Sun. I could also hear flavors of Los Angeles spanning multiple decades mixed in as well, sometimes being a bit darker, while other times having a nearly surf rock sound. If you’re into punk rock and/or garage punk rock, and especially if you enjoy psychedelic garage rock, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, then I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A