Return of the Frog Queen

Return of the Frog Queen is a solo album by Jeremy Enigk, recorded following his brief retirement from music due to the temporary split of Sunny Day Real Estate.[6] It was recorded with a 21-piece orchestra and released in 1996.[7] It has a slower and quieter sound than Sunny Day Real Estate's often-bombastic albums.

Return of the Frog Queen
Studio album by
Jeremy Enigk
ReleasedJuly 23, 1996 (1996-07-23)
GenreBaroque pop, chamber music, alternative rock
Length29:27
LabelSub Pop[1]
ProducerGreg Williamson[2]
Jeremy Enigk chronology
Return of the Frog Queen
(1996)		 World Waits
(2006)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[2]
Pitchfork7.8/10[4]
Wall of Sound80/100[5]

The album was recorded after Enigk converted to Christianity; this conversion had been originally thought to have brought on the disbanding of Sunny Day Real Estate, which was later cleared up as a smaller part of more internal struggles in the band. Sunny Day Real Estate reunited in 1997, when they released How It Feels to Be Something On. The sound of that record furthers the mellower sound developed on Return of the Frog Queen.

According to the 1997 Sub Pop mail-order catalog, Lou Barlow, of fellow Sub Pop band Sebadoh, cited Frog Queen as his favorite album of 1996.

Critical reception

Trouser Press called the album "magical," writing that "other than some Beatlisms, the record occasionally suggests how Syd Barrett might have sounded had he been able to mount a full-fledged production effort, but there’s so much else going on here that any sense of nostalgia quickly evaporates."[8] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide wrote that "Enigk and his keening, crackly tenor forge an intriguing recording reminiscent of early '70s British psychedelic pop."[2] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide called the album "dazzling, if enigmatic, orchestral pop."[9] In its review of the album's reissue, Pitchfork wrote that Return of the Frog Queen's "orchestral grandeur helped shape indie rock's future."[4]

Track listing
  1. "Abegail Anne" – 3:01
  2. "Return of the Frog Queen" – 3:30
  3. "Lewis Hollow" – 1:58
  4. "Lizard" – 3:14
  5. "Carnival" – 4:03
  6. "Call Me Steam" – 2:48
  7. "Explain" – 3:29
  8. "Shade and the Black Hat" – 4:58
  9. "Fallen Heart" – 2:22

Personnel
  • Christine Gunn – Cello
  • Joe Bichsel – Cello
  • Anna Doak – Bass (Upright)
  • Jeremy Enigk – Bass, Guitar, Piano, Arranger, Drums, Harp, Harpsichord, Vocals, Engineer, Design
  • Carlos Flores – Violin
  • Jeni Foster – Harp
  • William Goldsmith – Drums
  • Fred Hawkinson – Trombone (Bass)
  • Cathy Lauer – Assistant Engineer
  • Greg Lyons – Trumpet
  • Felicia McFall – Viola
  • Roberta Newland – Flute, Piccolo
  • Joe LeBlanc – Clarinet
  • Mark Nichols – Arranger, Conductor
  • Charles Peterson – Photography
  • Beverly Reese – Percussion, Glockenspiel
  • Laura Sperling – Flute, Piccolo
  • Chris Stover – Trombone
  • Hank Trotter – Design
  • Sam Williams – Viola
  • Greg Williamson – Producer, Engineer, Mixing
  • Ken Wright – Violin
  • Curry Wyrick – Assistant Engineer

References
  1. "Return of the Frog Queen (Expanded Edition)". Sub Pop Records.
  2. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 389.
  3. "Return of the Frog Queen - Jeremy Enigk | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  4. "Jeremy Enigk: Return of the Frog Queen". Pitchfork.
  5. Remstein, Bob. "Review: Return of the Frog Queen". Wall of Sound. Archived from the original on April 15, 2001. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  6. "Jeremy Enigk | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  7. "Jeremy Enigk Looks Back at His Lush Solo Debut Return of the Frog Queen". Nashville Scene.
  8. "Sunny Day Real Estate". Trouser Press. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  9. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. p. 793.
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