Album Review

The Flies – The Flies

• 14th Aug 2007

The Flies is ex Spiritualized and Lupine Howl member Sean Cook’s new hypno-rock project. ‘High’ is the debut single taken from their debut LP ‘All Too Human’. And honestly, I can’t wait to hear it!

‘High’ sneaks up on us with a Lenny Kravitz or Joss Stone kind of funk vibe before kicking in with a Primal Scream ‘Rocks’ pulse that dictates both the energy and tempo throughout each sinister, synth’ driven chorus. And over all of this we hear what should be the classic and memorable dancefloor chant of ‘Get Me High, I Don’t Need Your Love’. What a combination! What a great choice for a debut single. Lordy it’s good! What else have they got to offer?

‘Walking on the Sand’ jumps straight in with a Velvet Underground ‘Venus in Furs’ bassline that welcomes a percussion and purring pussycat derived vocal slinkiness reminiscent of a Peggy Lee sung ‘Fever’ or P.J. Harvey’s ‘Down by the Water’, to coolly cohabit the songs seemingly simple yet sophisticated structure It’s all good!

‘The Temptress’ doesn’t stray too far from the path of its predecessor and echoes; coincidentally I’m sure, Space’s ‘Female of the Species’, a song with the same theme! String plucking and orchestrations straight off any Bjork chart track, sublimely support SCs crooning. It’s still all good!

‘We Began’ continues, again in the same voluptuous vein, with a groove guided tale of doomed love to suitably accompany a track that could’ve easily been on the 1991 ‘Soul Glitter and Sin LP by Thee Hypnotics. I think it’s gonna stay good!

This sampler closes with the forthcoming LPs title track ‘All Too Human’. Bass! Deep deep bass all around! Passe vocals saunter along with the rhythm as the track bluntly builds into an urgency packed jam. Imagine the Charlatans covering Ruby’s ‘Salt Water Fish’ and you’ll have an inkling of what the chorus has to offer, as it interrupts it’s accompanying, less volatile verses. Hey, it stayed good!

Throughout these songs, an underlying eeriness can be sensed but not highlighted as the dark finesse of each track weaves it spell and engages you into its wonderfully sordid world. Did I mention it’s good?!