June 13, 2007

The Flies

4 / 10 Previously strummer of four strings for Spiritualized and mouthpiece of the off-beat Lupine Howl, Sean Cook is well tuned in the weird. In those leftfield projects beauty dwelled, but with new Bristolian gang The Flies in tow those moments are harder to unearth. Indeed the leather-clad clamour of the Black Rebel-esque ‘All Too Human’ might be intermittently impressive but an overly earnest cover of the Stones’ ‘Ruby Tuesday’ zaps it of heart and soul. Elsewhere they huff and puff like an ambient Super Furries on a treadmill – the squelchy harmonica marathon in particular of, er, ‘Harmonica’ an austere lowlight –echoing like a dusty, chilling, half-built tower block. It’s not that it’s that bad, it’s just hard work getting a buzz from these flies.

Greg Cochrane

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