Search - Flashing Lights :: Where the Change Is

Canada's second wave of power-pop

David O'Brien | Dublin 18 Ireland | 06/19/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Nova Scotia's Flashing Lights join a long dynasty of powerpop bands from Canada such as the magnificent Sloan,Thrush Hermit and the Superfriendz. Their trademark sound is a mixture of rock riffs and catchy songs.From the opener "Where the Change is" to the closer they barely put a foot wrong. Their brilliance is in being able to combine brilliant harmonies with crunching driving hard rock riffs,the most notable of these songs being "Where do the days go ?" with its 60's organ at the beginning and it's incessant riff throughout.They sound like a very young bunch of lads so hopefully this means that they will be around for a very long time.Popular music needs these kinds of songs !"

I call it "Math Pop"...

triggercut | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...remember "math rock"--with it's not-quite-in-the-groove rhythms (or lack thereof)? This is the guitar pop equivalent. Great songs with off kilter rhythmic structure that explode the volume when they should be quiet, and get really quiet when they should be loud. There's an obvious debt to Moon and Entwistle with the way the bass and drums dance around the melody lines of the songs. This is one of those amazing records (Lilys' BETTER CAN'T MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER and Let's Active's CYPRESS are two others that spring to mind) that I was pretty lukewarm about when initially released but came to love. It's one of those discs where if you keep listening suddenly the lightbulbs go off and you just "get it"--there's an incredible amount of depth in here to be found, and few discs of the past five years have so richly rewarded repeat listenings.I hate to try to oversimplify this too-swell-for-words record, but if The Who were playing Game Theory songs with the Posies on lead vocals, you'd have something not too far removed from The Flashing Lights. Highly, highly recommended."

Classic, hook-laden Power Pop!

D. Sippel | Chicago, IL United States | 01/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As I troll around the internet looking for great music that I am unfamiliar with, I typically get dejected and go write my own songs. I especially make an effort to find music every late Nov./early Dec. to keep up with what other Amazon users, and the world in general is listening to. The year 2004, struck me as slightly lackluster, but I am glad to have come across the likes of Arcade Fire, A.C. Newman, The Killers, Caviar, Futureheads, another fine effort from Ted Leo, and a few others. Being somewhat underwhelmed with the bulk of the current crop of music, I then dig a little deeper and (being a life-long fan) attempt to find a Power Pop release that I may have somehow missed. Occasionally, I stumble upon bands like The Merrymakers, The Shazam, Johan, True Love, Chisel, and others that I somehow missed the first time around. Flashing Lights are one of those bands, and "Where The Change Is" is one of those releases.



As much as I respect and try to appreciate revered Power Pop bands like Jellyfish, Frisbie, and others, I still tend to get giddy when presented with the revved-up, stripped-down, old school sounds of The Beat, The Plimsouls, 20/20, and the rest of the classic late 70's Power Pop sound. Flashing Lights deliver that kind of energy on this release. And as much as I would like to give it 5 stars, not all of the tracks are equally strong, but there are more than a handful of stand outs. If you aren't intially hooked by the first three songs, listen to a couple change of pace tunes, and then brace yourself for tracks 6 through 8. Flashing Lights drop influences from The Beatles, The Rasberries, and Sloan, but never let the influences overpower the strength of the songwriting, keeping things fresh and lively. With the exception of a few slower tempo tracks, energy remains high, and the melodies and hooks are nigh unstoppable throughout. This certainly ranks in the top 10 Power Pop releases of the last decade, and arguments could be raised to elect "Where The Change Is" into whatever unofficial Power Pop Hall of Fame exists in your universe. In fact, I'd like to make that nomination right now."