Posted on: July 15, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The magnificent synthesizers of the first track on “Get It”, “New Best Friend” mix well with Ben’s vocals to seem to pull to a U2-like sound. The explosion of the band soon after brings The Lashes closer to current trends in music, but there is that same sort of boisterous rock influencing each step that the band makes on “Get It”. To their credit, the patchwork approach of The Lashes works well here; “New Best Friend” mixes the psychedelia of The Doors, the full-blown rock of U2, and the angular nature of Franz Ferdinand to create something that will excite all listeners of this disc. “Daddy’s Little Girl” unites two different segments of rock that were divided by about ten years and 1,000 miles; there are hints of the Matthew Sweet Band in the arrangements during the track while Ben’s vocals eerily parallel Elvis Costello.

The breakdown during the track even creates a larger generational gap as The Knack are called forth; throw in a little C.C. Deville style guitar riffs and one has a track that exists on all plains of music irregardless of time or genre. “Sometimes The Sun” is a much more low key type of track, in tune with “Green Album”-era Weezer than anything, even though The Lashes create this type of lounging rock that is no where near as limp as later Weezer albums. The guitars, which grow more chaotic during the track, keep individuals on their toes even as they are lulled into a secure feeling by Ben’s vocals.

The braindead-simple keyboards (done by Jacob) on “Safe To Say” hit listeners over the head like a twenty-pound sledgehammer; these lines make this track have an intensity to it that is belied by the sloppy vocals of Ben and emotive bass lines laid down by Nate. With an arena rock guitar opening to “Please, Please, Please”, The Lashes look towards Boston and (more currently) The Foo Fighters; what happens after during the track really distinguishes them from the bands that influenced them. The Lashes create a greatest hits album out of eleven new tracks; if “Get It” is not on the top albums of 2006 by December 31st of next year, I will simply have to eat my hat. The Format may have came forth with a progressive album that touched on pretty much the same bases, but The Lashes come out with the most genuine rock album of the last twenty years. This is not just emo or indie rock, it is hair metal, it is shoegazer, it is Donovan all in about thirty-five minutes. Pick this up as a post-Christmas present.

Top Tracks: Please Please Please, New Best Friend

Rating: 9.0/10

The Lashes – Get It / 2006 Columbia / 11 Tracks / http://www.thelashes.com / http://www.columbiarecords.com / Reviewed 21 December 2005

[JMcQ]

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