The first Flowerland release in 15 years comes on October 16 and is bringing back the old school energy of the 90s. Flowerland formed in New Haven, CT, in 1991, and is presenting the original line up composed of vocalist Roger Guimond, guitarist Steven Christofor, drummer Jon Lichatz, and bassist Jef St. George. The band has now returned to the scene with The Caffeine Disk EP, containing six Flowerland classics  remixed by John Agnello, producer of Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr. and Kurt Vile just to name a few.

Core part of the East Coast independent music scene in the 90s, Flowerland stays faithful to the counterculture releasing the EP via the independent record label ‘Gypsygarden records.’

Opening with the roaring ‘Crazy Horse,’ the EP instantly feeds the listener with raw and outflowing energy. The record goes on with ‘Glass i,’ which maintains the magnetism already expressed in ‘Crazy Horse’ adding a darker feeling to it, with vocalist Roger Guimond delivering an admirable performance.

‘(Jim Brown’s) Military Country’ starts off on the same page as the previous tracks, and then develops a sweeter touch, which cuddles your more instinctive feelings from the first two tracks. The highly adrenalinic vibes are taken back by the agitated ‘Low’.

‘Kill Alice (slowly)’ might be the best track of the EP. Angry, violent, but with sparkles of a fragile attitude, it brings the listener into a hypnotic atmosphere. The bass awakes the deepest thought of the listeners, Christofor’s guitar is magnificent and Lichatz’s drums exceptional, almost delirious.

Finally, the track ‘Flow’ becomes the perfect closing to the EP as it wraps up all the agitation and bass of its predecessors and releases the build-up although keeping the power.

Clearly influenced by the Grunge movement of the 90s, Flowerland mostly takes from it the punk instinct and its raw and natural inspiration which translates into passionate creation. The band then mixes this with a more classic-oriented rock approach, creating a delightful result.

The EP is easy to listen to, almost half an hour of genuine hard rock. It goes on smoothly and does not get old; it seems to acquire quality after each listening instead. It is a tornado of emotions, surely not a record to play as a background activity. It wants and deserves attention, and easily gets it. The biggest merit is probably to be able to show how relevant those sonorities still are.

Rating:  EXCELLENT 4/5

http://youtu.be/Pkw59s6JjdQ

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

About the author

Veronica Cinti
Italian native, extremely passionate about music in general. Although she appreciates a wide variety of music genres, her strongest field of expertise is Rock music, Grunge and Punk among its styles. Contact the author: veronica.cinti@toonarimedia.com; Follow Veronica on Twitter: @VeronicaCinti

Related Posts

Norah Jones Takes Beautiful Dark Turn With Little Broken Hearts

'Little Broken Hearts' is an album all about jealousy, heartache, betrayal, and all of the emotions that come with a tough break-up. It is Norah Jones fifth solo album and it is wonderfully beautiful and dark. Those who have...

After Five Years, The Shins Return

Not since 2007 has the world heard from The Shins. It’s been nearly five years, but The Shins have finally released a new album. Fans of the Shins may find things slightly different though; a lot has changed. The lead singer...

Beyonce’s “4” Soulful Singing

Even though Beyonce may be rather quiet about her love life in interviews, she has no problem airing out her feelings in her track, “I Care”, off her studio album 4, released June 28. Produced by Jeff Bhasker, the track...