REVIEW: The Flashing Lights, Where The Change Is (Spinart)
- I.K. MacLeod
Borrowing their name from a rare Jimmy Page/Screaming Lord Sutch number from the late 60's, The Flashing Lights were bursting through my speakers with such raw intensity that I had to glance at the calendar hopes I finding out that I had been flux capacitated into the past. The complete lack of commercial bullshit combined with the unadulterated spirit of rock'n'roll takes the listener back to a time when R&B stood for rhythm and blues and bands spent more time together in a rehearsal space and than in a beauty salon.
Lead singer and guitarist Matt Murphy, aka Little Orton Hoggett, brought together this tight quartet after Halifax¹s Superfriendz disbanded in 1997. He is joined by childhood pal and bassist Henri Sangalang, organist and tambourine taper Gaven Dianda, and drummer Steve Pitkin. The band¹s sound is an evolutionary extension of the classic Who and Yardbird sounds of 60s, and their collection of original songs can be seen as both an interpretative and fresh take on modern pop music.
Murphy is no slouch on the Rickenbacker and The Flashing Lights are the perfect outfit for his hearty supply of licks, riffs, and stances. Recorded in Toronto with a little help from Daryl Smith (Sloan, Blue Rodeo) on the boards, Where the Change is switches gears from the smooth and poppy adolescent flashback of "Highschool" to a real rocker like "Half The Time." "Summertime Climb" pays tribute to some seasonal memories while "Elevature" is a friendly tip of the hat to former Subpop recording artists Elevator to Hell.
This album has been firmly planted in my top ten for the past year and it won't take long for you to hear why. The new US release features a couple bonus tracks that were recorded for a radio appearance alongside the 13 original numbers. For a free sample, point your browser to http://www.flashinglights.com/ .
