The adventures of Antfrond Bevisbeau

Anton Barbeau‘s new album may well be a masterpiece.

A veteran performer with six CDs under his belt, Barbeau is known primarily for writing hooky, three-minute pop numbers that remind of XTC or Robyn Hitchcock or Syd Barrett. It is fine work, but I sometimes feel like I’ve already heard it. What criticism I would (and have) leveled at Barbeau is that he doesn’t push his sonic limits far enough. After a while the three-minute song format grows tiresome and I begin to wonder if there isn’t something missing.

And that is where the Bevis Frond comes in.

The Bevis Frond is every bit as iconoclastic as Barbeau. A British neo-psychedelic trio located somewhere between early Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Frond is the brainchild of songwriter Nick Saloman, producing lilting pop melodies in a wash of wah-wah guitars and crashing cymbals, a band that could fit into the 1967 London psychedelic scene without missing a wailing guitar lick.

Saloman and company met Barbeau nearly by accident in 1999. During the Frond’s second American tour, Barbeau opened for it at Old Ironsides in Sacramento. Barbeau is an impressive live performer, and the Frond responded by being impressed. Very impressed. Impressed enough to suggest that Barbeau travel to the U.K. to record his new album. The Bevis Frond would be Barbeau’s backing band, and they would record in the Frond’s studios outside of London.

It was a dream come true for Barbeau: recording his brand of quirky, Brit-influenced pop with a band widely regarded as the best neo-psychedelic band in the world. He returned to London a few months ago and ended up recording the entire album with the Frond in three stellar, inspired, 12-hour days.

“I think Nick Saloman is one of the greatest guitar players in the world,” Barbeau says. Indeed, Saloman’s guitar work brings to the forefront an element that has always been lurking in the background of Barbeau’s songwriting—the element of full-fledged psychedelia. “The Clothes I Want to Wear,” a song Barbeau wrote on his initial trip to London, is fleshed out with mellotron and electric guitars, bringing to mind Cream’s “Tales of Brave Ulysses.” As the guitar solo comes in, Barbeau gets dreamy-eyed. A slow, Cheshire cat smile appears. “He’s so quick,” Barbeau says. “There’s no time lapse between his thinking of a musical idea and its execution. When he has an idea he’s right on it.”

It truly does seem a collaboration of genius. As the songs roll I am reminded one moment of Crazy Horse, the next of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown. It is at times very controlled, at times schizophrenic, and always incredible. “Retabulation” reminds of David Bowie. “It’s O.K., Maybe” of a Ringo-sung Beatles track circa 1965. Through it all one thing is clear: Anton Barbeau has crafted a beautiful, moving album and has finally moved his music to the next level. Congratulations, Mr. Barbeau. You did it.

Waronzo Records, the Frond’s own label in the U.K., will release the CD in England, although the actual release date is not yet solidified. As for a domestic release, Barbeau does not yet have any plans. Watch Web site www.antonbarbeau.com for news.