Review – The Flaming Barstools
‘Shout’
Independent EP
“When Flaming Barstools construct a song you can be sure that the rock on which they build it is just as firmly rooted in the Australian soil as it is hurtled skyward in the quest for internationalism and self expressionism”. So reads the opening paragraph of the flyer which accompanied the EP we received from Frank Cremona a while ago. A little over-the-top but a good indication of what to expect from the five tracks on the latest Barstools release which is called “Shout”.
The title / lead track is a good rock ’n roll tune for which these guys are famous. Track two, S.A.M. The Sex Life of a South American Mosquito (Just You and Me) wins the Tele-Mirror Most Bizarre Song Title award. Just another rocker, only a touch slower than Shout. Track 3 is a cover of the Cheap Trick song Surrender, thrown in obviously to attract the less-adventurous of the radio fraternity. The decision to include a cover in their repertoire in no way detracts from the flow of the record and would probably be a live favourite.
I’d Really Love to Kill That Guy incorporates the Twist and Shout intro and a catchy oft-used chord progression to create a clever hook. The closer appears to be the obligatory ballad Burn’d Again and rounds the CD off with an interesting gimmick. The phantom final track is actually the intro to Shout so it’s best to select Burn’d Again as the first track and select ‘repeat’ on your player to obtain the desired / required effect.
Flaming
Barstools look set to be the alternative 90s party band with songs
that would work anywhere, any time: party-oriented Aus-rock that will keep
punters coming (back) for years to come. Flaming
Barstools independent EP Shout«««¶