Insanity never sounded so musical before, like a Beach Boys if Charles Manson had joined, and then Dave Fridmann produced it. Flying's debut is a stunning collection of twisted pop songs and truly sweet interludes, while never losing a strong sense of harmony in the chaos of the moment.
Favoring the under-three minute song approach, these artists never reuse an idea twice, and rarely repeat themselves even when the hook demands it. Every song leaves you wanting more and it is scary to think what could be accomplished if they wrote a five minute piece for the radio, but I doubt that will happen (which is radio's loss). This is truly the sound of an orchestra, being made by three ingenious musicians and a small cast of supporters.
Ranging somewhere between a more acoustic Dirty Projectors or Mum, to a solid take on both Cerberus Shoal and Phil Elvrum's maxi-minimalism pop, Flying revels in the dirty, broken parts of life and in the out-of-key voices joining together in harmony after all. Sara Magenheimer's voice calls up memories of early Retsin and the rest of Tara Jane O'Neil's stellar work. But it is definitely not safe to make broad comparisons with such a band… the list would simply go on to long, and fail to cover all of the varied influences that can be detected both strongly and faintly. It is simply a sound both new and old, a nostalgia you didn't know you had.
Let this record be a challenge to those who think they are making ground breaking music. Let this record be the Sgt. Peppers style wake up call for a generation that has sucked a little too long on Devendra's tete. But let's remember that the revolution doesn't need to be violent or bloody, this one is going to be accomplished with accordions and broken pianos. Huzzah.
- Grant Capes | 2006-06-26