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 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Go to the Flipper website  Flipper - Generic/Gone Fishin'/Public Flipper Ltd. [Water - 2009]

Generic Flipper. From there you may want to venture on to their next couple albums. I suspect most adventurous listeners will be inclined to do so. I say this with the caveat that Flipper are not for everybody. Some may even find them over-rated. Others may think Flipper were (and in fact, still are) lazy and self indulgent. The fact is, the band themselves have admitted as much, but that doesn't mean their first couple of records aren't great." />
Rarely if ever will I go out of the realm of the critic into the sphere of the "fan", but in order to make my point as apparent as a blow from a hammer to the head I will begin this review with the advice that you should do whatever is necessary to get your hands on Generic Flipper. From there you may want to venture on to their next couple albums. I suspect most adventurous listeners will be inclined to do so. I say this with the caveat that Flipper are not for everybody. Some may even find them over-rated. Others may think Flipper were (and in fact, still are) lazy and self indulgent. The fact is, the band themselves have admitted as much, but that doesn't mean their first couple of records aren't great.

Their self-defeating, humorous aspect permeates every second of Generic, their debut album. The song Ever includes these inspiring words; "ever look at a flower and hate it/ever see a couple kissing and get sickened by it/ever think you're worse then find out that you really are". There's anger to spare in these lyrics, but there's an absurdist slant that in some odd way is almost endearing. The music is simple, yet inimitable. Ted Falconi's guitar is a spray of trebly feedback. There doesn't seem to be much structure to his playing, yet it's far from aimless. Imagine a punk guitar riff slowed down to Black Sabbath speed, then run through a blender. I've described his playing in the past as Jackson Pollock-like, because the details of the sounds he puts forth are upon close inspection scattered and chaotic, yet at a distance a somewhat clearer picture is discernible. Falconi's heavily distorted partial chordings and stray notes are anchored by the deep sludge-ridden bass lines of either the now deceased Will Shatter, or Bruce Loose, who each also provide ultra sarcastic vocals.

Flipper unwittingly spearheaded multitudes of followers with their ultra slow, doom laden bass melodies. The Melvins, Earth, Harvey Milk, Sleep and hell...every DOOM band owe Flipper a debt for paving their way to some extent. Indeed the Melvins have covered at least two Flipper songs, Way of the World and Sacrifice, quite possibly one of the best anti-war songs ever written. Nirvana famously championed the band, which ultimately lead to a double-edged sword for Flipper; Big-time producer Rick Rubin commissioned their back catalog for his newly re-animated American Records, which shortly after went bust. Rubin, a long time fan, had been in the decidedly minor, though very Flipper-esque Eighties outfit Hose, one of the original bands on the Def Jam imprint. American Records' demise stranded the band's best recordings from public release for a few years, leading to the unfortunately expected legal wrangling required to excise them. So it's about time that this magnificent album saw the light of day.

Two other prime Flipper recordings are being released by Water Records concurrently with Generic; Their second official album, 1984's Gone Fishin', a post-punk masterpiece which shocked fans at the time of its release due to the introduction of artier elements into the mix, such as sax and vibes. Even stranger is the fact that Falconi's guitar is toned down to an aching, deep pitched dark chasm of noise. When coupled with sloth-like bass lines and somewhat more serious, though no less pessimistic lyrics, the atmosphere becomes a vaguely psychedelic, Bocsch-ian bad trip. Public Flipper Limited, originally released as a double album, is a cut-up of some prime live Flipper, warts and all. It's certainly not a starting point for the neophyte, but those enamoured with their proper albums will find the set indispensable. The banter between the tunes is almost reason enough to recommend it, but the music, though extraordinarily sloppy at times, is addictive, and rewarding in ways in which it is difficult to understand. Flipper have, like many bands these days, reunited, and in fact took on Nirvana's Krist Novaselic on bass for their last two albums. Though they've done some decent stuff since the aforementioned albums, they now sound kind of like a pro version of the old Flipper. The original spark is present on those first couple of albums and singles...the Sex Bomb Baby compilation, also re-released on Water includes perhaps their best moment, the driving, and oddly touching (?) Get Away single. These moments of clarity, and/or oblivion are a rare and wonderful thing to behold.

Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5

Erwin Michelfelder
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