Album Review :
Flashlight Party - Wreaths_

Artist: Flashlight Party
Album: Wreaths_
Label: Plastiq Musiq
Release Date: December 15, 2008
Reviewer: Eric Pettersson

Tracklisting:
1. From a Mountain
2. When love Is Running Short
3. Through the Trees
4. In Front of a Suddenly Darkened Screen
5. Our Torch Relay
6. Music from Lamps (Travelogue Remix)
7. Stowaways (Travelogue Remix)
8. Snow Storm

I’ve always been intrigued by Plastiq Musiq. It’s an electronica label, once linked to the Tooth & Nail Empire, which was founded by Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric in 1997. A variety of indie electronic bands have gone through the ranks, and the latest release comes from an outfit by the name of Flashlight Party. Now what is so intriguing to me is that I’ve always considered myself a fan of obscure music that most of my friend’s wouldn’t like, but when I hear something like this, I realize my music is not as strange as I thought.

“Wreaths_” is a slow, dark electronica album that is equally bright and shining. Whirring, popping, buzzing, electronic sprites abound, reminding me of several games I used to play on the Sega Genesis. However, this is not just old video game music. There is a definite modern indie element that bounds everything together in one creative yet eerie feeling.

Listening to Flashlight Party gives me a dreamy feeling. Not necessarily good or bad dreams, just dreams. Like I said, it’s a little eerie. Not scary in the sense of being chased by vampires through the woods at night. More like a dream where you’re playing a game of Candy Land with Edward Scissorhands in a perfectly clear icy tundra. Later, once you get to track three, “Through the Trees,” your dream is suddenly transported into one of the creepier scenes in The Neverending Story, and then everything comes to a close on “Snow Storm” with ice bells and a faint marching beat tapped on tiny electronic drums. Throughout, the vocals are ethereal. A simple tenor echoes through the frozen wasteland, layered yet clean, adding to the eerie dreamy feeling.

If you’re a fan of minimalist synth pop, like Joy Electric but not as thick and complex, then Flashlight Party is probably worth checking out. Or, if you’re just tired of the same old alternative rock you always listen to and want to try something new, FLP may be your new exploration.

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