Flywheel - What to Lookfor in Summer

Mon 14th Aug, 2006 in Music Reviews

Generally, Australian artists need to make quite a name for themselves domestically before heading off to have a crack at the European or US markets. So it is rather unusual to stumble upon cases like Flywheel: an indie-rock number based in Melbourne whose fourth album What to Look for in Summer is their first to be released in Australia; with the previous three being put out in Europe, Japan and the USA.

What makes this situation even more unusual is how typically Australian Flywheel sound. This may not be a surprise to some fans, as song writer James Dutton hails from veteran Aus indie outfit The Cannanes, who have released nine full-length albums to date. Teaming up with James; his brother Toby, Gavin Butler, Greg Wadley and  Miranda Picton-Warlow combine to produce What to Look for in Summer:  a lazy but elegant sound that is somewhat reminiscent of Pavement, with aspects of fellow Australian groups such as You am I and The Triffids.

From the onset, What to look for in Summer gives their listeners a no questions asked introduction to the smooth, candid indie rock that is to ensue. The opening track ‘Cherry Tree Close’ features Flywheel’s trademark lo-fi guitar, drum and covert bass combination, as well as an introduction to their unique unsuspecting humour, with lyrics like “I’m wondering if I feel like chicken tonight?”

Blending well with the Australiana feel is the subtle use of humms, oohs and ahhs and in the case of ‘Down by Time’, a smooth whistling pitched at just the right level, that makes you wish you were cruising around Sydney harbour on a Sunday evening. As well as the subtle brass addition in ‘Holiday’ and ‘Cherry Tree Ghosts’, other spot-on additions like a  sample of the announcer at the race-track on ‘Carol’s Marathon’ and slurry vocals, that sound like a drunken murmur after a big day at the track, help give this record its distinctly subtle, Australian touch without being at all confrontational about it.

As well as proving they can do more than the lo-fi indie schmooze, Flywheel turn up the distortion just a tad, and take a step towards rockin’ out in tracks like ‘Cash Cow’ and ‘Electricity’, that  do a great job in lifting the overall tempo – but thankfully to extent only to accentuate the records other subtleties; which prove to the be the most alluring components of What to Look for in Summer.