The new album by The Radiation Flowers it is frankly brilliant, along with the new album “Summer Loop” the band’s new split 12″ with fellow Canadians Hawkeyes, with the sunny upbeat nature of The Radiation Flowers’ track there. This is mostly replicated here on their full album release with similar effect of raising the mood from what feels to be a rather bleak time to be living in Britain.
This is a summer record, as the title alludes to… but its not just about chilling and running through fields of wheat. There is also a harder edge to this album which somehow sits perfectly with the mood and expectation of the time.
This is evident from the first bars of the first track ‘Just Go Away’ which suggest something harder than the wonderful drop into the vocals delivers. They drift in and stand, along with a laid back rhythm in a certain kind of tension with the heavier guitars that have a sharper edge. Together they form a concurrent light and shade that pulls you in different directions in a very absorbing way which, for me, nicely sets the tone of the album.
‘Walking Down The Street’ in many ways has the same overall vibe instrumentally and, while Shelby Gaudet’s voice on this track is in many ways doing the same thing as Chris Laramee’s on ‘Just Go Away’ the change from male to female provides a subtle but real change in tone which give the tracks a different interpretation of the same vibe in a way that really works .
‘Colours’ is one of my tracks of the year so far. In terms of approach it reminds me of last year’s excellent Heron Oblivion album. The vocal is simply melting, soulful and with a melody that is just crushing. This is mirrored by Lucas Goetz’s hammond organ which perfectly matches Gaudet’s vocal.
Another welcome change in pace comes with ‘Dancing In Flame’, far more heavy and upbeat this shakes away the melancholy of ‘Colours’ to a certain extent and gives the band a chance to rock out a bit. There’s some fuzz going on in the background and the rhythm section, Amber Ross (drums) and Jay Allen (bass), is given more of a free reign to express itself here as the track builds up to an exciting climax where even a sax breaks through the melee to good effect.
Then comes ‘Sunrise’. Like ’33 Floors Up’ on the split LP this is one that you’re really going to want to get up and dance to. It’s the sort of track that’s going to go down well on a balmy summers night . The hi-tempo repeato riff really gets the adrenaline going…definitely all about the sunrise of an ‘all-nighter’… can’t wait to stay up.
‘Summer of Burnout’, as the title suggests to me, seems to be about the other side of summer. This is an altogether darker track, with heavy stoner elements that bring the tone crashing down in a salutary way.
Last up is ‘Walking (reprise)’ which is a softer more acoustically driven version of ‘Walking Down The Street’.
This Radiation Flowers LP bears all the hallmarks of being one of the better releases this year. It somehow succeeds in having a common vibe throughout, holding together an eclectic series of track that will variously have you up on your feet jigging like there’s no tomorrow and down on your haunches in contemplation that sadly there is a tomorrow.
The Radiation Flowers ‘Summer Loop’ is release on vinyl LP on Cardinal Fuzz Records, Release Date – 9th July 2017
thanks to psychinsightmusic for the words
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