Once upon a time there was a band called NAMASTE. I know not what that means but I do know said band played all over Europe and even got around to releasing a record in Austria. Oh Vienna, indeed.
The Namaste story is one that will probably gather dust in the margins, but now re-grouped with a fresh sense of purpose and a far more suitable name, IN LIKE FLYNN are gearing up to nip into your heart while you aren't even looking.
This three-tracker (well, there's actually a fourth, un-named track as well) is a pre-album session demo recording, but in terms of depth and recording quality, ILF appear to have already nailed their sound. And – I'm heartened to say – it's not a sound which will take pigeon-holing lightly.
Opening track 'Johnny Brooker' gleefully announces “he's the right side of the alternative line!” and ILF proceed to show they are indeed in such an enviable position. It's smart and cynical stuff and an intriguing musical hybrid. In the blue corner, there's a funky heaviosity recalling the likes of Electric Six or the long-lost Five Thirty, while in the red corner, it's challenged by the dissonant, refusenik nature of the guitars which bring the likes of the Gang of Four and PIL'S brilliantly squally Keith Levene to mind. These opposing forces slug it out impressively, but while they don't entirely reach a conclusion, the tension within is half the attraction.
Ensuing tracks 'Into The Boy' and 'See You/ Touch You' cement the positive impression. The first is truly a bastard to pin down, taking in everything from intricate Math-Rock tempo changes to Hardcore rushes, funky indie and falsetto balladry. On paper, this probably sounds like a stylistic explosion in a paint factory, but it's always controlled and in command and shows off one very important part of the equation that ILF have sussed early one: the necessity of having a dynamite drummer on board.
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'See You/ Touch You' is perhaps more interesting still. It's initially quiet, subtle and withdrawn, with more than a touch of the voyeuristic about it (“I'd like to see you a little more than I have before”) before the band finally give into temptation and bring on much heavier sonic artillery. There's also an un-named fourth track (if I'm not missing something) which is again dark, carnal and obsessive. It's arguably the most straight-ahead Rocker here, but it's exhilarating from the word go and no less impressive than any of the three preceding tracks.
In Like Flynn are already a name to conjure with. They play visceral music which is very recognisably Rock, yet they also gleefully throw oblique angles around like they're a box of rubber snakes. Crucially, the inherent energy in their attack is never diluted regardless of the tangents and that's a much harder trick to pull off successfully than many people would believe. According to their press release, they're only a month or so away from their début album, but these songs show they are already very close to realising something both special and possibly quite debauched. Oh well, you know what Oscar Wilde said about temptation.
In Like Flynn on Myspace
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