Label: Sub Pop Records
Release Date: February 17, 2004
Website: www.flyingradiobats.com
All Night Radio - Spirit Stereo Frequency
Jeff Edwards
Psychedelic.
OK, good, that part is out of the way.
The single word describes All Night Radio more succinctly than any
other. However, it is
good to identify this upfront so that the listener can get past this and
discover the
creativity that lies beneath. Stopping simply at calling the band a hippie
throwback
would be selling them far too short.
There are three levels to discuss with this recording. First, the basic
music that
underpins everything. The songs themselves are definitely structured in
sound and feel
very much like the aforementioned '60s psychedelia. There is more than a
passing nod to
late-period Beatles and contemporaries that infused drug-soaked
melodies with pop feel.
Thus, in this particular respect there is not a great deal of new ground
being tread. In
fact, at first listen the album even feels a little formulaic in its approach to
the
material.
Second, a word about the production. Perhaps this is the desired effect,
but there is a
very odd sound throughout much of the album with respect to the vocals in
particular. It
sounds as if the vocal track was pushed too far back into the mix, and is
peculiarly
washed-out. It does not help matters that the vocals are run through so
many harmonizers
and echo effects, either. Thus, it is often not only impossible to
understand the words,
but in fact difficult to determine if the words are in English at all.
The third facet of the album is what redeems items one and two and
makes this disc worthy
of multiple listens. Atop what seems to be ordinary trip-pop, All Night
Radio places
layer upon layer of effects processing, tape loops, snippets of sounds
both bizarre and
commonplace and lush instrumentation. On certain songs such as "Fall
Down 7" and "Oh,
When?," the studio noodling is a little distracting, but overall it works.
It is impossible to imagine what this band must sound like live. In order
to recreate
what has found its way to digital audio, a stage-full of technicians and
effects equipment
would be required. Regardless, it works as a recorded product, and
draws in the listener
– to see what might come next if nothing else. Yes, it is psychedelia, but
varied,
creative and interesting. Just don't ask what it is they are singing about or
why.
posted 04.13.04 -----
Jeff Edwards is now listed in who's who in the management sciences (courtesy Googlism.com). E-mail him at paranoia@sbcglobal.net
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