I found this record inherently more listenable than some of the stuff by their heroes.
The Fletchers is a band under the leadership of Gary Kaplan, the writer of all the music and lyrics on this record, as well as being the lead vocalist and one of the guitarists. This, their third album since they debuted in 2008 with 'Bright Blue Lights', finds the four-piece in prolific form, releasing this record just a year after their sophomore 'Lights Out Loud' effort.
Their music is a breezy kind of indie-pop, which means it sits just outside my normal taste range. It's not unpleasant or unlistenable, far from it - the opening track 'Get It Yourself' is a jangly, cheerful tune which I could picture being used in a television advert for a car zipping around a city. The more pounding 'I Can't Wait' isn't bad either, Kaplan has certainly got enough talent to pen a decent tune. While he may not be the best vocalist of all time, he does have a good idea of his limitations and uses what he has to good effect. The other thing I like about his song writing is that he doesn't feel like he has to string anything out - of his ten tracks on offer, three of them fall just short of being three minutes, and the longest one is only four minutes long. I think that is to be commended, nothing outstays its welcome as a result, and some require you to play them again. That's no bad thing.
The most rocking moment comes in the form of 'Car Song' but it's also the one where the vocals are the least convincing. At this point I chose to review the press release, which I always read after I've started listening - PR companies so often blow things up that much you are either disappointed or think you have the wrong CD on. Upon reading the press release, I was surprised to find The Fletchers are based in New Jersey, as I thought they were British from their sound. They cite their influences as The Who, Velvet Underground, Blur, The Stone Roses and XTC. I only like The Who from that list of bands, and The Fletchers could only be compared to the early sixties version of The Who, not my favourite period.
Because of these influences and my taste barriers, The Fletchers aren't my personal choice, but I would say they are good at what they do and I found this record inherently more listenable than some of the stuff by their heroes. If you have a taste for indie-rock in that vein, go and preview them on iTunes or CDBaby.com, it may well suit you more than me.
James Gaden
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