If you know Mitchell Froom's name, you're probably just as familiar with Tchad Blake. These two production juggernauts used to be quite the duo, though they don't seem to collaborate any longer. Nonetheless, their work helped propel Los Lobos to fame and recognition, at least until they decided to sign with Hollywood Records and attack Paul Simon in the press. They've also been associated with acts as wide ranging as Soul Coughing, The Dandy Warhols, Cibo Matto, Latin Playboys (of which they were members), Sheryl Crow (I'll forgive them for that), Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega (to which Froom was married) and many more than I dare to list here. With a list of clients like those, it only made sense that there would be some kind of project to come out of their relationships with their many collaborators, and Froom capitalized on extra studio time by recording most of Dopamine literally between takes at other artists' sessions. Blake, of course, got the production credit.
Dopamine was initially green-lit by Geffen Records, certainly in no small part because of the amazing list of collaborators, but somewhere along the way they lost interest and gave Froom and Blake the album back. One listen and it's understandable why this happened, as it's not a commercial sounding album by any stretch, but its qualities are stunning nonetheless and they found a partner in crime with Atlantic Records when they agreed to issue the album in 1998, for better or worse. I note the better or worse part because it's not as though Atlantic promoted the album or gave it any push whatsoever. I was amazed when I stumbled upon it in a Best Buy over a decade ago, both for it's content and the cover art. How do you sell something like this?
All negative sounding commentary aside, if the artists making guest appearances grab your attention and you know the Froom/Blake sound, you should already have a good idea what to expect, and at just over a half hour, Dopamine never wears out its welcome, remaining a fascinating, gorgeous mess of bizarre collaborations and worldly vibes someone would probably try to play on NPR. Myself, I love it. It's an amazing album and nothing else really sounds like it. Hell, Froom and Blake make Sheryl Crow sound exciting on her bizarre freak-out, Monkey Mind. Elsewhere, Jerry Stahl, author of the drug-nightmare that is Permanent Midnight and one of the individuals responsible for keeping Alf in the public's consciousness throughout the eighties, provides mumblings on a song also named Permanent Midnight, Miho Hatori chirps in her wonderfully sexy and beautiful voice about a Wave that takes her clothes away, Louie Perez provides slightly clearer mumblings about who knows what on I'd Better Not, Ron Sexsmith conjures a by-gone era that might not have existed in the sad Overcast, and a stoned-sounding Doughty does that thing he does on The Bunny. The coolest collaboration on the album though might be the closer, Fruta Prohibida, where Froom samples one of his father's recordings for the introduction. How cool is that?
Dopamine is lounge music for paranoid shut-ins, though it's better than that. It's one of those albums that deserves a cult following and groups of people selling original copies for obscene amounts of cash, though that will probably never happen. Regardless, listening to this album will explain why I want to hear Froom's score for the art-house-porno, Cafe Flesh, as I'd love to know just how weird he was when he was younger. Listen to this while trying to get your lover hot and you'll fail miserably, but you'll probably be driven to learn some obscure dances and have some incredible conversations, and let's face it, that's what really leads things in a kinky direction! You'll thank me later!
Mitchell Froom - Dopamine
01 Tastes Good (feat. David Hidalgo)
02 The Bunny (feat. M. Doughty)
03 Kitsum (feat. Lisa Germano)
04 Dopamine (feat. Suzanne Vega)
05 Watery Eyes (feat. Mark Eitzel)
06 Monkey Mind (feat. Sheryl Crow)
07 Noodletown (with guitar by Steve Donnelly)
08 Wave (feat. Miho Hatori)
09 I'd Better Not (feat. Louie Perez)
10 Permanent Midnight (feat. Jerry Stahl)
11 Overcast (feat. Ron Sexsmith)
12 Fruta Prohibida (with violin by Mark Feldman)
