From No Wave Magazine
The Flakes
Straight Jacket 7�
(REVIEW BY RUTLEDGE)
Swedens Flakes obviously know what far too many bands don’t know: if you’re gonna play POP, you’re gonna need GREAT SONGS! It’s not enough to merely play tuneful, melodic music. You need that all-important HIT—the kind of super-catchy smash that gets stuck in people’s heads, lodging itself so deep inside the brain that not even the world’s top neurosurgeon could get it out of there. Those of us who love good pop know what it’s like to get hooked by a song like that. But you don’t hear that kind of tune every day. It takes talent, skill, and good old-fashioned craft to cook up the perfect pop song.
Well, folks, I have to say that The Flakes have indeed cooked up the perfect pop song. Learn it, know it, live it: THE best pop song of 2004 is The Flakes She’s So Natural. It’s got a chorus so catchy that you’ll be hearing it in your head all night—even if you’ve only spun the record once. But you won’t just spin it once, for this is the kind of tune that just BEGS to be played over and over and over and over and over! It’s fast, upbeat, bouncy, and melodious. You could call it pop-punk if you wanted, but it sounds more like warp-speed powerpop to me. (Imagine a punked-up Yum Yums!) All the ingredients are there: tight harmonies, melodic guitar leads, bubbly Dickies-esque vocals, and (of course!) that amazing chorus. Ooh yeah! At times, there’s a jerky quality to the playing that recalls the abrasive leanings of early new wave; but for the most part, this is the sort of charging effervescent pop that never fails to put a smile on my face. It’s a rainstorm of melody that fills me up with warm, happy vibes. But it rocks too. Everyone from your Descendents-loving middle-aged uncle to your bubblegum-chewing nine-year-old niece is gonna dig this song!
On the flip side are two more punk/powerpop ditties. Neither is nearly as good as She’s So Natural, but both are better than average. They’re fast, melodic numbers with cheerful, fun-sounding vocals. I’m reminded of the terrific post-Teengenerate powerpop band The Tweezers.
Will The Flakes continue to wow me, or will they end up one-hit wonders? Only time will tell. For now, one song is enough—and what a song it is!!!
—Josh Rutledge, opinionated asshole
September 7, 2004
