In March, Wild Flag put on the best show of the year thus far and they didn't even have an album out. Well they have an album out now. And I'm shocked to say that they somehow exceeded my outrageously high expectations. This riot grrl supergroup brings the heat on their self-titled debut. If you like guitars, you will love Wild Flag.
If you've been living under a stone for the past year, Wild Flag brings together stellar musicians from three great bands: Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss from Sleater-Kinney, Mary Timony from Helium, and Rebecca Cole from The Minders. The band's sound touches on a variety of genres -- punk, early-Stones era rock, post-hardcore, and psychedelic rock.
The album kicks off with the band's strongest song "Romance" -- a Brownstein-led track. Brownstein and Timony trade off vocal duties. Timony's songs trend more psychedelic, Brownstein's more straight-up rock. Cole and Weiss do wonders to provide a consistency that holds the album together. "Boom" is the closest the album gets to punk. Meanwhile "Glass Tambourine" could fit in on a Brian Eno album. In short, the album has a bit of everything that rock fans could want. Timony and Brownstein bring some serious guitar chops to the table. Weiss is one of the best (and underrated) drummers in rock. And the added organ chimes and harmonies from Cole give Wild Flag tracks a robustness rarely seen today.
Get. This. Album. Now. Or, better yet see the band live on their fall tour. Lord knows I am.
Verdict: Four and a half stars
Key Tracks: "Romance," "Glass Tambourine," and "Future Crimes"
._ Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Posted by: Rollo | January 30, 2012 at 06:58 PM
I really enjoyed the blog. It proved to be so useful for me and I am sure to all the commentators here!
Posted by: flv flash player | January 30, 2013 at 03:46 AM