Each Measure Feature: Frank Richman

FEATURE

It's a rare treat when music can truly surprise you, and one I try to relish whenever those surprises come around. It would be a lie to tell you that watching the music video for Frank Richman's new release, 99 Fire, was a surprise to experience, because it was multiple surprises, back to back. The first surprise came with the way Richman presents themselves. I say themselves because I, like the rest of the world, have no idea who Frank Richman is. The artist, a mysterious figure who appears as a banana in the video, remains anonymous throughout their work. You read that correctly, in their music video, Frank Richman appears as a felt puppet version of a banana, reminiscent of Sesame Street, which dons a black mustache, sunglasses, and a bushy afro.

The second surprise came when the video actually got going, as 99 Fire shows us from the start that this banana knows what they're doing. The song is an energetic, jazzy, and exciting romp that makes you want to get up and dance within seconds. It's not completely clear whether or not there's some hidden meaning or story to the music, or if it's just a catchy, fun, energetic song that wants to pump you up and make your day better, Richman intentionally leaves that question up to the listener. Personally, I don't think that's the right way of looking at it. I think that the meaning is in the groove, and whether that draws on a deeper story or a pure desire to pump you up doesn't matter nearly as much as what you get from it. For me, 99 Fire gave me an overwhelming urge to get up and move. Who knows what it'll give you.

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