Flashes – Rzhev
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| Flashes - Rzhev |
Release Date: Out Now
I wasn’t sure what to expect from
Cornish quartet Flashes but I can be pretty certain it wasn’t what I got. In
fact, I expect most people on first listening to the five tracks that make up ‘Rzhev’
will have equal amounts of delight and confusion coursing through their veins.
Opening with the six-minute beast ‘Summation’ that builds from a bed of gently
strummed electric guitar and shuffled beat to reach a summit that beckons in
some dreamy, other-worldly vocals. This is pure Shoegazing indulgence and that’s
only the first track, albeit longer than most punk EPs.
‘Paintbrush’ is the second track in
and it’s an altogether punchier, darker affair. Channelling the likes of
Oceansize and the Cooper Temple Clause, the punchy drums and rotating bass line
create the perfect foil for some meandering guitars and that trademark vocal
style that communicates as if from beyond some wall of consciousness that we
are as yet unaware of. On ‘The Upset’ there’s a sense of mischief lurking in the
shadows between the itchy guitar notes and glitchy beats but when the chorus,
of sorts, strikes you get a real sense that something positive is trying to
push forth and find fresh air.
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| Flashes |
Flashes are masters of the
atmospheric and while it might not be baby-making music to some, there are
others who would happily soundtrack the expansion of their family with these
five intense tracks. Indeed, on ‘Obliterator’ the Radiohead-esque beginnings
are a muted precursor to the groove heavy song that is to follow, complete with
sexual undulations and, at about the three-and-a-half-minute mark, an orgasmic
burst of distortion heavy energy that will give you goose bumps or die trying.
Closing out with ‘Dream Fuzz’,
Flashes go for their most ambitious effort so far with over 11 minutes of
shoegaze based meandering with ultimately climaxes in a burst of guitar
feedback before trailing off like the last sounds you would hear before
slipping in to a dark coma of blissful ignorance. This is music that has had
time spent on it and, most importantly, time to breathe – not something you get
to hear that often in this age of market lead music and expensive studio time.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/flashesband/
Live Dates:
8th September – Little Orchard Festival, Truro