Jonathan Richman Only Frozen Sky Anyway
Jonathan Richman's Only Frozen Sky Anyway arrives as a tender, deceptively simple collection that turns mortality and change into warm, often whimsical lessons in hope. Critics note that the record's intimate acoustic arrangements and child-like innocence let songs like “The Wavelet”, “I Was Just A Piece Of Frozen Sky Anyway”, “Night Fever” and “But We May Try Weird Stuff” read as both small revelations and melodic comforts, making it clear why reviewers call out those tracks as highlights.
Across two professional reviews the album earned a 79/100 consensus score, with reviewers consistently praising Richman's ability to balance nostalgia and intimacy while reframing familiar pleasures. PopMatters highlights the album's extemporaneous charm and underdog triumphs in tracks such as “The Dog Star” and “David & Goliath”, where playful phrasing and a faux French take on “Night Fever” underline a sly humor. Pitchfork emphasizes tenderness and emotional depth, crediting the framing title song and the meditative closer “The Wavelet” for leaving the strongest impression.
While both reviews celebrate the record's directness and warmth, they also acknowledge its amateurish, lo-fi aesthetic as intentional rather than limiting - a creative choice that foregrounds friendship, mortality, and gentle acceptance. For anyone wondering "is Only Frozen Sky Anyway good" the critical consensus suggests a quietly moving, must-listen collection for longtime fans and curious newcomers, one that rewards attention to its standout tracks and recurring themes of change and hope.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
The Wavelet
2 mentions
"In songs like “But We Might Try Weird Stuff”, “The Dog Star”, and “The Wavelet”, the cloying singer-songwriter uses pop melodies to express hope"— PopMatters
But We May Try Weird Stuff
1 mention
"In songs like “But We Might Try Weird Stuff”, “The Dog Star”, and “The Wavelet”, the cloying singer-songwriter uses pop melodies to express hope"— PopMatters
I Was Just A Piece Of Frozen Sky Anyway
2 mentions
"Only Frozen Sky Anyway begins with “I Was Just a Piece of Frozen Sky Anyway”, where Jonathan Richman declares that “when I make my transition, I want everyone to know I only changed position"— PopMatters
In songs like “But We Might Try Weird Stuff”, “The Dog Star”, and “The Wavelet”, the cloying singer-songwriter uses pop melodies to express hope
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
I Was Just A Piece Of Frozen Sky Anyway
But We May Try Weird Stuff
Night Fever
You Need Me Too
The Dog Star
Se Va Pa'volver
That Older Girl
Little Black Bat
O Guitar
David & Goliath
The Wavelet
I Am The Sky
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 2 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Jonathan Richman keeps his gaze forward on Only Frozen Sky Anyway, turning mortality into a kind of playful lesson where hope survives. The reviewer lingers on best songs like “But We Might Try Weird Stuff”, “The Dog Star” and “The Wavelet”, noting how pop melodies veil shame and angst while insisting that music and life endure. His acoustic take on “Night Fever” becomes a joyful oddity, sung in a faux French accent that makes you smile, and the Biblical reading in “David & Goliath” is a small-scale triumph for the underdog. The record feels extemporaneous and charmingly amateurish, which is exactly the point - innocence and hope stitched into short, honest songs.
Key Points
-
The best song(s) like “But We Might Try Weird Stuff” distill hope through pop melodies even while acknowledging shame and mortality.
-
The album's core strength is its child-like innocence and candid extemporaneous lyrics that make superficial moments feel profound.
Themes
Critic's Take
Jonathan Richman keeps his gentle, intimate sensibility intact on Only Frozen Sky Anyway, but he digs into mortality with surprising tenderness, making songs like “Se Va Pa’volver” and “David & Goliath” feel especially resonant. The record reframes old pleasures - a stripped-down “Night Fever” and the sepia-romantic “That Older Girl” - as small revelations rather than mere novelties. Richman rarely loses his sunny reassurance, yet these best tracks carry new emotional depth that makes the album quietly moving. The closing meditative “The Wavelet” and the framing “I Was Just A Piece Of Frozen Sky Anyway” leave the strongest impression, bookending a record about time, friends, and gentle acceptance.
Key Points
-
The Wavelet is the best track because its meditative drone and emotional weight effectively close the album.
-
The album's core strengths are intimate arrangements, lyrical simplicity, and newfound emotional depth around mortality and friendship.