WILD FLAG – WILD FLAG
Wild Flag may be an all-girl super-group but they certainly don’t sound like one. The four members of the American punk outfit have served in various bands since the 90s such as Sleater-Kinney and Steven Malkmus and the Jicks. However, their brand of punk is much more in line with the New Wave post-punk of the 80s. Electric Band owes a great deal to Gang of Four’s ground-breaking punk-funk, while Something Came Over Me recalls New Wave revivalists Young Knives. Wild Flag thrash their instruments like the angriest of angry young men, but their sound is both full-bodied and varied. With its oozing rock organ, Boom sounds like a ballsier version of the B52’s Rock Lobster, and Glass Tambourine offers a refreshing blast of 60s psychedelia which does well to break up the vigorous pace of the album. The production is remarkable and helps to update the musical ideologies of yesteryear for the 21st century. The musicianship is also admirable – take the sweet guitar solo on Racehorse, for example. In short, Wild Flag’s debut is impressive as an accomplished nostalgic punk album, and the gimmick of the all-girl super-group is merely icing on the cake. And best of all, unlike many super-groups, there are no subversive egos jeopardising the quality of the music – these girls just wanna have fun.
****
