Lee Adcock
Earth Music
As a music critic, you’d think I’d reserve my sauciest judgments for bands. These days, though, since I see more musicians and artists hustlin’ out there than other writers, the latter draw my ire more than the former. As part of Flagpole Magazine’s Athens Popfest coverage, for instance, a writer loosely pegged DC power trio Ex Hex as a “punk” band, even though Mary Timony and Betsy Wright trade heroic guitar solos that no ordinary street urchin could pull off (nor would they want to). That’s not just misleading—couched in that misnomer is a blatant devaluing of the band’s skills.
In the same issue, another writer likened Atlanta rock squad Flamingo Shadow to Athens’ OG party progenitors Pylon and the B-52s. That’s another wince-worthy misjudgment, for while the five-strong crew can certainly pack the dance floor, slick and polished licks burst from the spools of debut tape Earth Music like Technicolor on an old TV set. Sure, Madeline Adams and Katie Robertson like to wear glitter and tropical attire when they wail in hypnotic unison. But listen a little longer, and you’ll hear the collective chops of David Matysiak and Mason Brown, who propel Earth Music on with rocket-fueled riffs and basslines that could echo in arenas.
Doesn’t that cascade in the intro of “Riding on the Wind” remind you of the Edge? Don’t you wanna pull some Peter Townshend-like windmills on yr air guitar for “It’s the Sound?” Don’t Robertson’s keys on “All Way Down” sparkle like yr earliest memories of Coldplay? Make no mistake: you can get down at a Flamingo gig, but this ain’t no disco.
Of course, these flamingos don’t just strut like big shot rock stars. As much as the well-greased gears churn—especially the other Brown on drums, Devin—a certain buoyancy keeps the crew afloat. Take “Mingo Mongo,” the feisty shakedown that kicks off the album with a firm “yip na na na,” or the breezy waltz “Holiday” that wobbles into a glitch netherworld—these are the games from a troupe that treat the studio like a theme park rather than a soapbox. But Flamingo Shadow save the most clever trick for “Keeps Me Coming,” which veers almost entirely from rock into a navy-tinted neon pop tune that smacks of Sleigh Bells (or, if you’re local, Ruby the RabbitFoot). For sure, Earth Music slips gleefully from tidy categories, as our protagonists drift down the river of rock at a leisurely pace.
The folks of Flamingo Shadow might prefer to float rather than drive home a point, but that doesn’t mean that Earth Music sails with nary a care. Indeed, that’s what lifts the album out of a self-serving nostalgic rut. Flashes of subconscious paranoia jolt us back into the modern day, where so many unspoken fears gnaw at the back of our minds. “Taxi” may boast a wicked groove, but here Adams tucks a lucid prophecy under her self-sufficient getaway: “Don’t need no taxi / no taxi man / he won’t exist in five years’ time.”
Far from the typically capricious escapes of pop music, Flamingo Shadow’s travelogues both speak to and toy with our uncertain future. And never do the gang attempt to berate a target, demand retribution, or seek answers—nor do they have to, since, y’know, these guys aren’t punks, either. The rambunctious showstopper “Black Cloud” revels the most in such impish mystery, as we’ve discussed before; we can’t say yet who will stop that train, and Flamingo Shadow don’t dare claim to know.
All told, Earth Music knocks the ball outta the tape deck park. Honestly, it’s almost too good for the tape deck. So while you can’t scrutinize Flamingo Shadow for too long, or worship any lyric like gospel, you’ve got to respect the sheer audacity to eschew confession and rock their hearts out. Just remember, we’re not at the love shack, and we’re certainly not on the M-train. The next party these guys host might go down under a far wider roof.
Earth Music is out today on cassette and all digital platforms via Irrelevant Music.
Flamingo Shadow will celebrate the release of Earth Music on Sat., Aug. 25 at 529 alongside Karaoke (Record Release) and Rose Hotel. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $8 in advance, $10 DOS. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Web: flamingoshadow.com
Bandcamp: flamingoshadow.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @flamingoshadow
Instagram: @flamingoshadow
SoundCloud: @flamingo-shadow
Twitter: @flamingo_shadow