Artist: Flagship Romance
Album: Fee Fie Foh Fum
Label: Gatorbone Records
Release Date: 02/10/2015
The musical duo has been an indispensable staple of rock and folk acts over the last fifty years. Everyone from Simon and Garfunkel to The White Stripes used the duo as a means of best encapsulating their sound. Flagship Romance chooses to go a similar route and does a fine job on their debut album Fee Fie Foh Fum. The couple manages to conjure up a sound that strongly deviates from the computer-reliant music so prominent on the pop charts right now. The group proudly states, “We recorded our vocals & guitar live, in the same room at Gatorbone Studios; full-takes, with no splicing or tuning. Our goal was to create a perfectly imperfect experience.”
An excellent example of what the duo does best comes on “A Strange Thing” which features a musical dynamic reminiscent of Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac. The harmonies alone make the song worth listening to, and the instrumentation adds tasteful density to the track. While much of the songwriting is somewhat non-descript, there is no doubt that the pair are able to make listeners feel as though they are playing just for them. While I could do without many of the cliché romantic lyrics, the couple does show promise.
The group endearingly pokes fun at themselves with “Love Song No. 86,” a clear nod and acknowledgment that they cover familiar ground throughout the record. In an era when marketing and overdubs are often considered more important than making heartfelt music, Fee Fie Foh Fum comes as a flawed but welcomed variation.
– Landon Gampel
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