Customer Reviews

Flathead

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hey you! Yeah, you! Mr. Trendy! Come here!

You've seen the iTunes advert by now with the KT Tunstallesque guitars going into the boomslap rhythm song of the guy sort of singing/talking, right before that "I know I heard this somewhere before" Bada bompa dararara bada bompa dararara chorus, right? Well, my friend, that is the NME's latest darlings, Scotland's own Fratellis.

The song is "Flathead" and for some reason unbeknownst to any sane person who bought their full-length on import, they are unknown to the greater public stateside. So you have two choices, either buy this and hope their label (I think it's Universal) has sense enough to release the full-length or shell out the $$ for the full-length of Costello Music and see what the mother country is on about. There's nary a clinker on this or the full-length.

Me? I'm mad for it.

Signed,
epsteinsmutha

If there's any justice in the music world, then Glaswegian rockers the Fratellis will be a big rock'n'roll force.

But even if there isn't any justice, you still should listen to the Flathead EP during the wait for their forthcoming full-length album. It contains two songs from the album, two B-sides, and a whole lot of catchy wild-edged rock.

It starts off with the title track, a catchy banjoey little number, right before John Lawler starts singing about a mad night out, "Just because she feeds me well/And she made me talk dirty in a pink hotel." Then he lets rip with a scratchy roar: "... Doesn't mean she's got eyes for me/She might just want my bones you see!"

Then it's the raw guitar ditties and blasts of bass, romping through the catchy Beatlesesque "Henrietta," a delightful little song about a girl who is married, but the Fratellis urge her to "me live with us among the has beens and the addicts/These are crazy times down at Costello music."

That's followed up by two B-sides, which are both less polished than the first two, but are still quite fun. "Stacie Anne" starts with laughter and bursts into a roiling little rocker, and "Cigarello" is a frolicksome little bit of guitar pop that smacks its way through in a collision of guitar riffs.

Nothing gives you a good feeling like some really great rock'n'roll -- it's a visceral, elated feeling. Well, I got that feeling during this little EP, and it certainly bodes well for their forthcoming "Costello Music."

Unlike most bands, they don't get a riff and play it over and over. These guys know what guitar rock'n'roll is all about -- they wrench nimble riffs and blasts of bass from their instruments, and keep the melodies danceable and ever-changing, and spice it up with some banjo and chimes at times.

But they don't take themselves too seriously in here -- the songs about smoking, partying and all the stuff that comes with them ("I could wear your dress and your lipstick/Or we could go out and steal a car/Both get loaded and drive real far"). Lawler has a solid scratchy voice, and actually makes chicken noises in one song.

Basically, the Fratellis know how to make good rock. Occasionally, "Flathead EP" is better than good -- really brilliant, fun and carefree.

If you're a fan of the Fratellis, you'll want to pick this up. Two album-tracks, and two unreleased songs for a very low price. Great buy!

I am always looking for upbeat music to start my day or to just get me moving. I purchased the album based on a review I read in the NY Post about the song Flathead and as The Fratellis group being "the" band to watch. Neither disapppointed me! I actually prefer the other songs on the album (Henrietta, Stacie Anne and Cigarello) but all in all they are a refreshing sound and a group to watch in the US.

It's a sad SAD shame that you don't get music like this in the United States. This album is a GEM that should not get passed up.
Costello Music (the CD) contains some of the most toe-tapping upbeat feel-good music you have ever heard. If you ever heard the Ipod commercial that features the track "Flathead" then you can be assured the ENTIRE CD contains tracks just as good as this one.
It's not often you pick up and purchase a CD that has good tracks from start to finish.
If you can find "Costello Music" *ANYWHERE* stop what you are doing and freaking BUY IT!!!

If you like bands such as "The Strokes, Jet, or even bands that date back to the Punk Rock era or the Beatles" then this is for you!

I'm extremely angry that I had to discover this band from an ITunes commercial and not from U.S. Radio. It only shows you just how commercialized music is in the United States where we are flooded with tracks by Justin Timberlake, Brittney Spears, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers...Don't get me wrong- they are *ALL* talented artists who make good music (I'm a big fan of just about any type of music) but it's SOOOO nice to have a breath of fresh air every once in a while.

The Fratellis provide that breath of fresh air with an exquisite compilation of great music.

I don't care what it takes- petition Amazon.com to get "Costello Music" added to their list of available CD's for purchase. Otherwise YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON GREAT MUSIC THAT YOU WON'T FIND HERE IN THE U.S.A.!!!

I hope this review was helpful!

Flathead is a great song, you know it from the current (Jan/Feb 2007)iTunes/iPod commercial. The song Henrietta is excellent, too, very Beatles-esque. It hit #19 in the UK. (You may have also heard a bit of the song "Chelsea Dagger" in a current Safeway commercial, but that song is on the not-yet-released-in-the-US LP, not this EP).

Fun, high-energy punk-pop from a cheeky young Scottish trio. File under work-out or dance music. Jump on this train fast, and tell all your friends.

Costello Music (the full-length album) was released in the UK on 11th September 2006, and will drop in the US on the 13th March 2007 (just over two years since their first ever gig in Glasgow).

Buy this EP, and then wait for the US release of Costello Music if you can, but if you can't, buy the import. Your ears'll thank you.

I love the band but for $5.00 not worth the cash...buy the whole album instead.

Nice creative work here. Amen to that..Trouble is, US radio's business model doesn't allow anyone in who won't make the dollars. Its all about money here. Beside who gives an expletive if this music doesn't get on US radio. You found it and why isn't that enough? Turn on your hip friends and be part of the underground. When I first discovered bands like the Doors, Cream, and Ten Years After in the 60s, they weren't on the radio either. Check Billboard. They got on with hits and because the suits smelled money. Art, schmart...so enjoy all thes bands and screw the mainstream. These guys are too good for it. K.T. Tunstull broke in the US and Flathead should but don't hold your breath. If Apple and Safeway know about them, they may be allowed in, but notice they get co-opted immediately by commerce even before they get discovered by the hipsters. Go listen to the Yardbirds.