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Virginia, North
Carolina, & DC

Flume: Note to Self
[Bittersweet]

Flume hails from Washington DC, and their new release Note to Self is quite a nice listen.  They seem to be a four-piece, three guys handling the guitar, bass and drums, while Heather Nicholas takes to the microphone.  The vocals are clear and well delivered, and the music is very tight yet unobtrusive.  In general, Flume goes for the pleasant pop sound, not really pop, but I guess thats one way to describe the catchy guitar licks and drum rolls dispersed throughout the album.  The jangling guitar really does give Flume a nice touch, and it wouldnt be too far off to compare the final sound on Note to Self with something the girls in Tiger Trap might come up with.

Usually, what makes or breaks an album recorded in this style is the lyrics.  The music completely serves its purpose accentuating the vocals, and Heathers got a pretty voice.  The final step is to make sure that your words connect well with a listener.  Lots of bands can get away with lame lyrics depending on the style of music they play.  Well, fortunately there are a few tracks on here where the lyrics hold up pretty well.  Feather the Nest comes off as a pretty little lullaby track, and 30 West is pretty killer if you like lounge pop of this style.  Some of the middle tracks dont excite quite as much, but even those are pretty pleasant in general.  Another winner is the opening track You Used To, where Heather sings, Although its been saidIll take the bad with the goodyou used to chase away storm-clouds, and think that I never would.  Anyone interested in taking the bad with the good on Note To Self will hopefully, as I did, that theres a lot of good to go around.

This album can be purchased at Amazon

Flume Official Website

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