Letters From Frank

The Hissyfits | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 4, 2001)
• Original Release Date: July 4, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Top Quality Rock & Roll
• ASIN: B000068WQP
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #643,524 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Mike DaRonco, ALLMUSIC.com

...combines the sound of girl groups from the 1960s — with a tougher disposition resembling Sleater-Kinney, the Rondelles, the Chubbies...

About the Artist

After coming together through New York City’s Village Voice several years ago to "just have some fun," The Hissyfits have endured and matured into one of their generation’s more significant post-punk/post-riotgrrl ingenues. From humble beginnings as an inexperienced musician with only a bass player and no real drummer to speak of for the first two years, lead singer and guitarist Holly Jacobs (a.k.a. Princess) has kept The Hissyfits phenomenon steadily growing through line-up changes and very little in the way of outside funds or industry support.

Amazingly, their first 7" vinyl record wound up in the hands of legendary rock critic Greil Marcus who instantly proclaimed their music "Pop—When It’s Perfect!" in Interview Magazine, and their first full-length EP, Letters From Frank, debuted in July 2001 on the CMJ charts at #65, far above more well-known bands like the White Stripes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Nikka Costa, and Alkaline Trio. Critics lauded their debut effort as "the most gripping and startlingly frank gone-wrong relationship album of the year" [San Francisco Bay Guardian] and "a worthy successor to the legacies of Sleater-Kinney, early Bikini Kill, and the Runaways" [Boston Phoenix].

With the departure of two of her long-time bandmates who left to finish school and pursue other interests, Hissyfits founder Princess faced another potential impediment on the rocky road of rock and roll. With a brand-new album getting rave reviews and tons of fans writing to ask when The Hissyfits would be visiting their town, Princess decided to forge ahead and recruited a stellar new line-up, some are saying the finest-sounding and most vital yet.

This latest evolution includes the addition of viola, sky-rocketing the long-time power-trio to an entirely new lush and textured level. This traditionally classical instrument sounds remarkably reborn and relevant, weaving in and out of the layers of crunchy guitars, driving bass and drum beats, and soaring harmonies. Their sound remains a study in contrasts--light and dark, melodic but moody, edgy yet serene--eloquently described by New York Waste as "sweet destructive pop that twists, turns and burns."

Despite all of their obstacles and limited resources, The Hissyfits have managed to impress a large and varied group of musical movers and shakers. Before they even had an album out, the girls were invited to play Joey Ramone’s annual birthday bash accompanying the renowned Ronnie Spector on stage. They’ve gone from playing small rooms in the East Village to playing a date on the MTV Vans Warped Tour and were recently flown to San Francisco to play a private party for a major music website. The Hissyfits were honored to be invited to play the largest Ladyfest festival to date (Ladyfest*Midwest, Chicago, 2001), with many other well-respected indie artists such as Le Tigre, Mary Timony and James Iha, Bratmobile, and The Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray. The girls recently returned from performing packed shows at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX and their short-term plans include releasing a new album and touring Europe this summer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars something wrong w/ them NEG reviews..., May 21, 2008

By 

Mike Dereniewski - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letters From Frank (MP3 Download)

Any band that has gotten press from Glamour to Maximum Rock-n-Roll to Seventeen to Postcard Collector Magazine has GOT ta be the bomb-diggity, yo!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the biggity bomb, December 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Letters From Frank (Audio CD)

A very good cd. There's a good variety of styles shown throughout the album. The band has an obvious good pop song sensibility. amazing vocal harmonies. Stand out tracks include Today is the Day, Bloodsugarsister, Giant Ants, 911, Tired, and, of course, Something Wrong. I don't understand these other bad reviews for this album... sure, the production isn't the highest of quality on many tracks, but if you listen to the song structure and the irresistable melodies this cd is amazing. anyway... the lo-fi production just adds to the rawness of the band's image and makes the cd that much better.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Something Wrong", January 13, 2006

By 

Stephen J. Hall "(Stephen)" (Scottsville, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letters From Frank (Audio CD)

Some of the reviews here remind me of this time these guys came into the music store where I worked & often played this CD. They walked around uttering ignorant little snitty cliched comments about how they didn't like this CD & they got louder & louder until I asked them to please keep their rude-mentary comments to themselves...or leave. "Letters from Frank" is a pop-punk masterpiece. The songs are witty, intelligent, deeply ironic & sometimes deeply sad...your gamut of emotions will be stirred & stretched out...if you listen...& your brain synapses will effervesce as your body starts moving unconciously - several of the songs are rockingly danceable. A cool almalgam of 60's girl groups, 70's buzz pop-punk without it's dumber forays, 80's intelligent post-punk personal politicking, late 90's rock revival (as opposed to mid 90's indie boys post-rock emo-ego trips), & post modern strong women's songwriting, the Hissyfits are one of my favorite bands & some of my favourite people. I've seen the Hissyfits live & these gurls, nay these women, play their instruments better than 83% of the bands out there. A lotta "guys" I know just cannot take this!!! "Princess" was a nickname given to leader Holly by an ex-boyfriend; she kept it in full irony. Holly is a tireless worker who helped organize the bands for Ladyfest East in NY City & performed live to help raise money for Ladyfest D.C. There's been "something wrong" with the way women are treated for eons & within the music biz it's no different...but you'll deserve your own reward if you choose to give this a fair listen..."Today is the Day"!!! (Stephen)