The Posies: Ken Stringfellow (vocals, guitar, piano, organ, bass,); Jon Auer (vocals, guitar, vibraphone, bass); Dave Fox (bass); Mike Musburger (drums).

Recorded at Ironwood Studios and 316 81st Avenue N., Seattle, Washington and Sear Sound, New York, New York.

Personnel: Ken Stringfellow (vocals, guitar, piano, organ); Jon Auer (vocals, guitar, vibraphone); Mike Musburger (drums).

Audio Mixer: David Bianco.

Recording information: Ironwood Studios, Seattle, WA; Sear Sound Studio, New York, NY.

Frosting on the Beater opens with a thick wall of distorted guitars and booming drums kicking up a very melodic fuss behind Ken Stringfellow and Jonathan Auer's creamy-smooth harmonies on the psych-tinged "Dream All Day," and the track's sweet-and-sour blend immediately announces this is going to be a very different affair than the Posies' major label debut, Dear 23. With noisy rock dude Don Fleming in the producer's chair, it came as no great surprise that Frosting on the Beater was a much harder sounding album than the introspective Dear 23, but surprisingly enough, Fleming also knew how to make the most of the band's expert pop songwriting; with the tempos and guitars turned, the tunes gained a needed physical impact that brought the melodies and hooks into the forefront, where they belonged. Just as importantly, the spot-on harmonies that were the highlight of Dear 23 were still very much in evidence, resting atop the piles of fuzzy guitar chords like a dollop of hot fudge poured over a big scoop of ice cream. And prior to this, who knew that Ken Stringfellow and Jonathan Auer could rock out so hard (and so well) on guitars? One could argue that the big guitar attack of Frosting on the Beater was simply the Posies' way of trying to cash in on the grunge sweepstakes that briefly turned their hometown of Seattle into the center of the rock universe. But one listen also reveals that it transformed a smart but overly precious pop outfit into a hard-charging power pop band that gained a wealth of strength without giving up any of their smarts in the process -- not a bad bargain. ~ Mark Deming

Coming as it did after the reflective folk-rock of 1988's FAILURE and the lush neo-psychedelic pop of 1990's classic DEAR 23, the more aggressive FROSTING ON THE BEATER was a surprise to many Posies fans. In fact, some thought that its layers of guitar noise, courtesy of producer and Sonic Youth associate Don Fleming, were a post-Nirvana commercial capitulation. However, more thoughtful listening proves such cynicism wrong, as FROSTING ON THE BEATER is as sonically rich and lyrically mature as its predecessors. This time out, though, the ever-present melancholy of singer/songwriters Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer is echoed in the noisier arrangements. At heart, songs as strong as the soaring "Dream All Day" and the Matthew Sweet-like "Solar Sister" aren't far removed at all from previous Posies classics like "Suddenly Mary" or "Golden Blunders." FROSTING ON THE BEATER is excellent '90s power pop in the Redd Kross/Cheap Trick tradition.

Spin (6/93, p.81) - Highly Recommended - "...soothing harmonies and lyrical profundities straight from a bedside journal...glows with hummability, paying joyous respects to earlier bubble-gum saints...a sound that slips and slides between luscious melody and psychedelic mindwarp..."

Alternative Press (7/93, p.86) - "...Their remarkable evocative sound is steeped in the vocabulary of decades of harmonizing guitar bands....This is no wimpy fluff. Rhythmic smarts and constant changes make the Posies intellectually challenging, as well as sheer fun..."

Option (9-10/93, p.121) - "...NOTORIOUS BYRD BROTHERS harmonies and sanded-off chord changes and energetic-yet-restrained drum parts..."

Melody Maker (1/1/94, p.77) - Ranked #17 in Melody Maker's list of the `Albums Of The Year' for 1993 - "...With `Dream All Day,' `Solar Sister' and `Flavour Of The Month' Seattle's Posies contrived one of the greatest trio of pop rock album openers since Big Star's RADIO CITY...."

Musician (6/93, p.90) - "...doesn't waste time on pointlessly pretty sounds...backs bittersweet vocal harmonies with full-on drumming and grungy, garage-schooled guitar work that keeps the focus on the Posies' intricate, idiosyncratic tunes..."

Mojo (Publisher) (4/00, p.119) - "...Their harmony style and keen sense of minor-chord melody are compulsive....this often-remaindered album is probably the best way to remember these virtually unsung heroes of Seattle."

NME (Magazine) (6/12/93, p.34) - 6 - Good - "...Don Fleming's production gives proceedings a perverse edge and the dream-team billing of Wings on Sonic Youth's drug allowance has a blinding impact..."