Stream: Flavor Crystals III
For being part of an industry that lives and dies on hype, the guys in local group Flavor Crystals either don’t understand or don’t care. Anyone who has seen the band live know that their rich waves of shoegaze rock and roll are delivered by four average guys in jeans and T-shirts, as unassuming as their music is sonically adventurous. The band, who have been a staple of the Minneapolis scene and were plucked by Brian Jonestown Massacre to open their 2008 tour, are back to the grind with their latest LP III. The album, which the group are selling on a three slabs of white vinyl (two for the 24 songs on the record and a third disc of “bonus” material), proves again why the people who know this band love them. The record as a whole is an engrossing journey, part stoned ambiance and part focused, flesh and bones songwriting. Like the album cover, the record is rich in texture, colorful, and almost overwhelming. The layers of guitar crash over each other, with a steady groove ensuring that the ideas never become a drag that loses the listener. Absorb the record below and if you dig, check out the band at their album release show tonight at the Kitty Cat Klub. But be warned, there will be minimal hype/fanfare, just some really solid music.
Writer / co-founder
