By Matthew Ritchie, Staff Contributor
Chrono Trigger is perhaps the best Super Nintendo RPG of all time. Involving an epic storyline in which you battle to save the future by travelling backwards and forwards through time to correct the present, you must battle evil forces with your magical sword and sidekick frog.
It’s a pretty ridiculous (if by ridiculous, you mean amazing) video game that is similar in concept to Lord of the Rings. Because of this, Led Zeppelin’s first five albums sound amazing when you play them as the video game’s backing track. Playing Chrono Trigger while listening to Zeppelin not only makes the video game and the music of Led Zeppelin better, but helps add mental images to the epic soundtrack. Because of the atmospheric shredding of Jimmy Page and the battle drums of John Bonham, you are no longer alone in your battle.
That’s the same kind of feeling evoked by Final Flash, a quintet from Quebec who happen to create a similar listening experience one would have while fighting monsters and listening to psychedelic classic rock giants like Zeppelin or Blue Oyster Cult. This is because Final Flash were likely influenced by such bands. In fact, Final Flash could even be lumped together with the newish psychedelic and progressive bands rocking the mainstream such as Band of Horses and My Morning Jacket.
On their album *Homeless, songs like “Awakening” and “Choose Generation” have similarities to Canadian folk rocker Neil Young’s super grungy-sounding period. “Go Outside” similarly creates the image of a classic psychedelic rock band, but more in tune with the Beatles’ style of production.
Musically the songs are constructed dynamically with lots of shifting counterpoints. The vocals are fun and use the album’s production to the fullest by developing rich textures and gang vocal layering, but not in an overwhelming way like The Local Natives.
This record is pure fun. It feels less cerebral than some of the other new psychedelic sounding bands like Yeasayer or MGMT. Instead, Final Flash delivers music straight from the heart that rocks your libido the only way it can be rocked: HARD!
Great first album from a Canadian band we should hope to hear more from.
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