Carrickmacross quartet The Flaws have just released the finest album of their eight-year career to date. Third outing Springtime For The Flaws takes the explosive guitars of their debut Achieving Vagueness and adds some slick production, memorable melodies and even perhaps a sense of maturity.
That’s not to suggest these 11 songs are chin- stroking paeans about finding yourself in the Andes. But their tub-thumpingly infectious rock ‘n’ roll is tempered with a sense of being a little longer in the tooth and maybe a little wiser. Certainly, the arrangements on the soaring ‘That’s What You Get’ or the frenetic intensity of ‘Disappoint & Go’ are more intricate than we might have expected, calling to mind Idlewild at their best or perhaps even Foals, while the intertwining guitars of the bittersweet ‘Don’t Lie’ could out-arena Biffy Clyro.
The monumental ‘Animals’ is stunning. It kicks off with acoustic guitars and an almost folky feel, but builds in intensity until it has grabbed you by the scruff of your tingling neck-hairs, as Paul Finn delivers his finest vocal performance yet.
Elsewhere, the glorious ‘Going Arial’ starts gently, before thumping drums and crashing chords join in for a well-conceived slice of radio-friendly rock that harks back to the heyday of Buffalo Tom, The Lemonheads and the like. ‘Shake Your Bones’ is possessed of a seriously catchy melody that crowbars its way into your consciousness and digs its claws into the inside of your head, from where it encircles your brain all day long. Seriously. ‘Blow Your Hair Back’ has a dreamy feel like sun-kissed shoegaze, that reminds this listener of that great lost Irish act, In Motion, which just might be down to the presence of Marc Carolan on mixing duties. Then there’s the sunshine jangle of ‘Water Riots’ and the yearning, cascading ‘Ourside’
to be getting along with as The Flaws deliver easily their most impressive and complete album to date. It may have taken five years to get here, but Springtime For The Flaws was well worth the wait.
KEY TRACK: 'Animals'