“Fool’s Field” is the latest full-length album by Flashlight Faces, an excellent Atlanta-based band that you should immediately check out if you are into cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music. Released independently by the band, this marvelous release carries eight exceptional compositions that will immediately grab your attention and refuse to let go even after the album ends. Arriving after “Off On The Moons,” a magnificent full-length released last year, the band heavily promoted a new album with “Things That Walked” and “Wild Ones Went Away,” two marvelous tracks that vividly showcase what you might expect. For those stumbling upon Flashlight Faces, you may expect several different but complementary rock subgenres wisely merged into a cohesive whole. Perhaps classic rock comes to mind first, but the band tastefully incorporated some of the finest properties of alternative rock, folk rock, pop rock, and many other similar styles to illustrate such rich and luxurious sonic imagery. They use all these additional elements as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details to uplift this material to new heights while remaining loyal to the primary sonic direction. Therefore, these experimentations with many different but complementary styles resulted in a magnificent rock album satisfying even the pickiest ears.
The album commences with “Things That Walked,” an outstanding introductory piece that vividly demonstrates Flashlight Faces’ songwriting and composing abilities. This fine piece of sonic artistry flawlessly captures the nostalgic classic rock ambiance while floating toward alternative rock waters. The beautiful melodies delivered on the keyboard masterfully complement superb vocal performance while the guitar riffs and equally intricate low-ends act as a perfect backdrop for all the vocal maneuvers to shine upon. The drumming keeps everything in line with outstanding performance, bringing a comprehensive collection of rhythmic structures. With this track, the band promises a wild ride through a vast universe built upon brilliant ideas and exceptional musicianship. “Shaking Wall” comes up next, bringing a more moderate feel. This track goes even deeper into classic rock aesthetics by combining a recognizable late sixties, seventies, and early eighties sound. The keyboard maneuvers carry a nearly psychedelic rock vibe while the remainder of the band uplifts the ultimately solid base on an entirely new level. You will also notice how catchy choruses penetrate your listening apparatus with such ease, leading you even deeper into Flashlight Faces’ fascinating sound. “Coyote Heights” is another standout of this album. By now, you already gotten used to their classic rock sound, but this particular track showcases a more complex sound where all the instrumentations seamlessly blend into a colossal slab of harmonious noise. The impressive keyboard leads, themes, melodies harmonies, and other sonic maneuvers complement cleverly arranged chord progressions and riffs, while the vividly hearable basslines offer more than necessary heaviness, clarity, and depth while bringing all other orchestrations with a mindblowing drumming performance. The vocal arrangements are the centerpiece of this number, emphasizing every segment and instrumentation.
“Wild Ones Went Away” brings some eighties indie and nineties alternative vibes to the table. Just like classic rock, Flashlight Faces handles these styles pretty well, demonstrating versatility, uniqueness, and freshness. Of course, the performance by the entire band goes beyond comprehension once again while the impressive vocal range balances between low, mid, and high notes, highlighting everything these skillful musicians wanted to achieve with this song. The additional back vocals and singalongs spice things up by adding complexity and depth. Still, the band goes even deeper into experimentations with “Man-of-War (Isle Of None 1970),” a perfect hard rock song decorated with subtle touches of progressive rock. Once again, Flashlight Faces brings complex instrumentations where each instrument shines in the limelight. By now, you already realized that this band is capable of impressing even the pickiest listeners, but this track goes even further in sonic exploration. You’ll be amazed by the keyboard and guitar works while the rock-solid rhythm section contributed with heaviness, power, and depth through fascinating low-ends and percussive acrobatics. It’s undoubtedly another standout that will immediately become your go-to track whenever you need some hard rock music. The title track delivers some subtle folk-rock vibes with marvelous themes, melodies, chord progressions, and riffs. The steady rhythm brings some tension while the keys provide a nearly cathartic ambiance, invigorating the performance of each band member. Also, it’s good to mention that the main focus is on the lead vocalist, whose storytelling lyricism makes this epic sonic journey even more enjoyable.
“Hide The Fire” slows down the pace a little bit with half-time rhythmic structures and subtle basslines that shine through all the superb keys and guitar work. Again, the vocalist creates a catchy, memorable, engaging atmosphere, keeping the listener tied from scratch to finish. The verse immediately grabs your attention and keeps you entertained with perfectly sung vocal harmonies. This magnificent sonic voyage ends with “Another Sun Shines Underground,” another excellent song that brings back that psychedelic folk rock atmosphere to the table. The song commences with interesting sonic maneuvers delivered on acoustic guitar. These chord progressions provide a backdrop for the vocals to shine upon, but the band gradually introduces more complex instrumentations while retaining the moderate and calm ambiance. The guitars are in sole focus, but you’ll hear another dosage of impressive keyboard themes and melodies, intricate basslines, and rhythmic patterns, worth revisiting over and over again. It’s such a perfect closure of a fascinating rock album. With this material, Flashlight Faces proves that classic rock sound can still sound mesmerizing, entertaining, versatile, fresh, and unique. They’re not joking around with their music and that’s vividly hearable from beginning to end. Each composition arrives with a carefully arranged structure, garnered with many intricate segments, brilliant ideas, and exceptional orchestrations. Each band member demonstrates knowledge, experience, skills, and talent through superb vocal, sonic, and rhythmic performance. You should put Fool’s Field on your radar as soon as possible because it’s a classic rock masterpiece that will become a favorite album in your record collection. The album is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!
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