By now I’ve already listened to Romance about a million times I’m singing along. It’s a cracking opener you can dance to, clap along to and most definitely bang some air-drums to. When Carrie and Mary sing “We love the sound, the sound is what found us, sound is the blood between me and you” they are setting up a theme that runs through the album; the love of music, the need for music that saw Carrie picking up a guitar and writing songs for the first time in three years. It’s followed by the more subdued Something Came Over Me which is pretty much the ‘slow’ song of the album, which in turn is followed by Boom. This is one of my favourite songs on the album. It is appropriately titled. There are slidey guitars, wonky keys, Carrie barking in a way that can only be described as Raw Power-era Iggy Pop and Janet Weiss pounding the everlasting crap outta’ those drums.
The ensuing re-recording of Glass Tambourine sounds WAY better than the version they released on World Record Store Day earlier this year. If it’s possible for something to sound mighty and ethereal at the same time then this manages it with aplomb.When Wild Flag were in their infancy, drummer Janet Weiss discussed the difference between Sleater-Kinney and Wild Flag: “I liken Sleater-Kinney to a freight train. It felt like this incredible, forward-moving, powerful energy. With this, Mary definitely has a more mysterious, otherworldly, laid-back vibe sometimes. It's kind of trippy.” Nowhere on the album is this more evident than Glass Tambourine.
Endless Talk is a sunny day. An awesome, 'everyone is cool and best friends' sort of sunny day where you walk along making ‘gun’ hands at everyone and you’ve got a bit of swagger and everything is great. Rebecca Cole’s organ sound has added an extra dimension to the songs so far, and while there are some synths weaved throughout the album, for the most part it’s this retro-but-sort-of-now organ sound that brings the poppier side of Wild Flag to the fore.
Electric Band and Future Crimes could probably be released as some sort of Triptych 7” with Romance since they all have a very similar sound. Electric Band, however, is where Mary Timony sings lead and to that end it definitely has a slightly different feel and is more akin to some of her solo stuff. However, rather than just sounding like the sum of their separate parts there is definite aural cohesion between all the players. When you realise that, vocals aside, all the tracks were recorded live, you can also hear how comfortable the band are playing together. But then, they’ve known each other for ten years and this is not the first time they’ve played together. To that end the album really does sound like a group of old friends just having fun with music again.
Future Crimes was the first Wild Flag song I heard so I spent it dancing around again. The lyrics are also really catchy, including the closing salvo where Carrie barks “If you’re gonna’ give up this fight then I’m gonna call you a liar” which is almost fighting talk.Almost. Then Racehorse is just downright dirty sounding. By this point I’m sold on the album being my favourite of the year, but this is riotous, joyous, furious and fun. “I’m a racehorse, you put your money on me, yeah I’m a racehorse, I’m a racehorse, you put your money on me!” then “You put your love on meeeee! We’re in the money!” and there’s a sweet guitar solo. There is nothing to dislike about this song. Then all of a sudden Carrie is YELLING that you don’t know! And it all freaks out and it’s just the best sound ever. I don’t think I’ll hear anything sexier than Carrie Brownstein telling me to “Pony up and ride”. Oh, she’s yelling again. This is awesome.
Black Tiles closes the album by sounding like all the best parts of all the bands the members of Wild Flag were ever in amplified to eleven. There is a definite Helium-esque feel to the refrain and I guarantee you’ll have it stuck in your head for days. It’s a cracking end.
Black Tiles closes the album by sounding like all the best parts of all the bands the members of Wild Flag were ever in amplified to eleven. There is a definite Helium-esque feel to the refrain and I guarantee you’ll have it stuck in your head for days. It’s a cracking end.
This is a swirling, cohesive, collaborative, rocking, pop-flecked, punk-sneered, ethereal, enchanting and fists-raised triumph. I can’t describe in mere words how much I love this album. How it has lived up to my every expectation. It has not failed me. I can’t find a trace of anything to be disappointed in apart from, maybe, the fact that it’s all over too soon.
Wild Flag is out on September 13th through Merge Records.
LD
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