Friday, November 6, 2009

Caught on the Dancefloor with TheFlashJam

I've been searching all day for a new group to put up on here. Searching for someone with just a new, unique sound. I must say, it was a long and hard search, but I was rewarded at the end with the discovery of these guys: TheFlashJam.
Out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, TheFlashJam are a new electronic sensation, and once people find out about them, there will be no way these guys will be able to go back to the small club circuit.
Made up of Jamie McLean (vocals), Oliver Banjac (guitar and keyboards), Stefan Candie (keyboards and vocals), Brody Krock (bass), and Andrew Morren (drums), TFJ delivers a new electronic-punk sound that even stations that played rock and rap could agree on.
Releasing their debut EP TheFlashJam just a short while ago, TFJ rocks us with four unique tracks that just keep your heart-rate up from start to finish.
First off the EP is "Caught on the Dancefloor," a synthed-out track that grabs you from second one. Banjac and Candle rope us in with a sick synth and guitar riff, and McLean's vocals take us from there. It's fast-paced and smooth, with Korck's bass and Morren's drums double-timing every beat. I just had my cousin's Bat-Mitzvah this past weekend, and I wish we'd had this song to play, because it would have kicked the crap out of those worn-out Black-Eyed Peas songs. My fingers are already bruising because of my inability to stop snapping along to this track. If you're looking for a new song to play at any party or dance, or just freak out to, here it is, nicely packaged, slick, and sexy.
Then it's over, and a more traditional piano brings us into "Once You Know, You Know." But it's not slow for long, as Morren comes in on the crash giving us a beat Krock synchs up with, and then Jamie McLean just lets it fly, and at the chorus we're off, propped up by Candie's piano and Banjac's guitar notes. McLean's vocals are a breath of fresh air in a much overdone emo-punk-rock age, and the rest of the band make this breath of fresh are possible with tight playing and unique melodies and lyrics. Just an overall great song. Something I'd listen to on any kind of day, bad or good.
And now we're halfway done as we start in on "Lifeline," a return to speed-of-light paced drumming and synthed-out progressions. McLean leads the way with strong yet lucid vocals as Banjac's guitar riffs are particularly prominent on this song. Delivering a nice hard edge to the song with his guitar, Banjac lays a perfect foundation for Candie's kinky synths, and Krock and Morren round out the song with a tight partnership of a heart-pounding bass and drums that shakes the rust off your eardrums. Certainly a strong track for the album. Not too much like the first track, but alike just enough to know it's the same five guys delivering an electronic punch to your gut.
The last track on the EP, "Let It Die," features local hip-hop artist KazMega on guest vocals, and is a fitting end to a strong album. Acoustically driven in the beginning, it moves away from the acoustic sound very quickly with Candie's and Banjac's synths and guitar, respectively. Then McLean comes in, and it's already an fantastic song, with bombastic drumming from Morren, and a bass line from Krock that keeps everyone in line. And as McLean starts in on the second verse and chorus, you can hear KazMega in the background, getting ready for his carefully timed guest vocals. And after the second chorus, that's it. KazMega educates us with some real life truths as Candie's synths raise the bar on electronic key progressions. Then McLean's back, and brings us home, as we trail out on Candie's synth notes, and all I can think is what a freakin' amazing song. Definitely a solid end to a fantastic EP.
This, my friends is a perfect EP: every song is solid, well-produced, lucid, and catchy as hell. Looking for something new today? Listen to this, it's got every one of your names on it.

Sounds Like: 3OH!3, Metro Station, Blaqk Audio

Key Tracks from TheFlashJam: "Caught on the Dancefloor," "Lifeline," "Once You Know, You Know," "Let It Die"

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