Pop Masters
Big Stir, 2023
10/10
The Syracuse, New York power-pop legends The Flashcubes return with their original 1977 line up, where 8 of their recent singles and 4 new tracks welcome plenty of guests from the guitar-pop underground.
“Baby It’s Cold Outside” gets the listen off to an energetic start, where Tommy Allen’s crisp and animated drumming welcomes the expressive vocals of Mimi Betinis, of Pezband, who originally recorded the tune, and “Get Up And Go” follows with Dave Paton of Pilot, who lends his smooth pipes to the jangly rocker.
Elsewhere, “Tomorrow Night”, by Shoes, is populated by Jeff and John Murphy and Gary Kiebe- all from Shoes- for the soulful and dreamy retro rocker, while “Have You Ever Been Torn Apart?”, a Spongetunes interpretation, enlists Jamie Hoover, Pat Walters and Steve Stoechel to flesh out the highly melodic and instant sing-along friendly environment.
Some of the best tracks reside close to the end, where Chris Stamey’s “The Summer Sun” places Arty Lenin on lead vocals to complement the indeed summery harmonies, and “Flavor Of The Month”, by The Posies, benefits from Gary Frenay’s powerful bass and swirling guitars from Paul Armstrong and Lenin.
A band who turned plenty of heads during their first stint from 1977-1980, The Flashcubes got back together in the ‘90s, and have retained their robust and poppy formula since. Put this album on at your next party and prepare for plenty of praise for how great it is, cause these hooks come in spades.
Travels well with: Steve Stoeckel- The Power Of And; Popsicko- Off To A Bad Start