I like to think I’m an old-soul, and here at Alt Citizen we’d like to kick it old school and bring back some killer albums from many moons ago. Freak Out! was the debut album by the band Mothers of Invention back in 1966 and is often referred to as the first concept album. Front man Frank Zappa laced the album with a commentary on American pop culture and by extension, established the seminal last word on art, rock and punk in the decade.
The first half of the album is dedicated to creepy, Oompa Loompa, avant-garde, satirically poppy tracks like “Hungry Freaks, Daddy” and “Who Are The Brain Police” and spills into more unpredictable and unorthodox arrangements that Zappa clearly tinkers and experiments with. Upon its release, the album was criticized for having been written and recorded under the shadow of a bad LSD trip, while others created a cult following about both the album and Frank Zappa. Possible offspring of Zappa’s style closer to the year 2013 include Trey Anastasio, Architecture in Helsinki and Panda Bear.
In an age where budding music enthusiasts seek the next new thing that changes the game, it’s important to look back to those platforms’ roots and perhaps discover for oneself how the game is defined and by what standards music crosses from experimental to established.
