Review: The Wave Pictures – ‘Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon’


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Three years after releasing their last album ‘Long Black Cars‘ on Moshi Moshi Records, The Wave Pictures return with the loose, cutting and frequently comical ‘Great Big Flamingo Burning The Moon‘, marking yet another evolution for the Wymewold band.

‘Great Big Flamingo Burning The Moon’ was recorded with the help of one of the band’s biggest heroes, renowned artist Billy Childish, and with an envious collection of vintage 60s equipment, he inspired The Wave Pictures to take a different approach to the recording process.

The result – a compact ragtag set of 13 songs bursting with energy and wit – prove that The Wave Pictures have only gotten gutsier with age.

With propelling drum rolls and a subtly frantic guitar outro, the zany power-pop of the album’s title track sets the tone for the rest of the album, and the lighthearted lyrical anecdote ‘I Could Hear The Telephone (3 Floors Above Me)‘ features one of the album’s most accessible choruses, while also managing to fit in some seriously appetizing guitar licks.

The band retains their signature idiosyncrasy and dynamism on ‘Moon‘, while ‘Green River’ is a smoky blues number that features some of David Tattersall’s best guitar work. Where the twitch riffage of ‘Sinister Purpose’ displays shades of punk, the hazy ‘At Dusk You Took Down The Blinds’ conversely shows a knack for writing subtle and effective ballads.

Throughout the album there is a distinct homage to late 60s and early 70s garage bands; the sly cruising groove of ‘Katie’ recalls Television at their peak, whereas the wonky ‘All The Birds Lined Up Dot Dot Dot’ sounds like a popper take on the Velvet Underground’s ‘Lady Godiva’s Operation‘, but lyrics like “we queue up like ducks, to hop in and out of the water” unequivocally make these tracks Wave Pictures’ own.

The songs and lyrics on ‘Great Big Flamingo…’ are about as whimsical as the album title suggests, but with the help of Childish the band has discovered a new sense of vigor. The energy and performances on this record are palpable, which only sharpens Tattersall’s lyrical wit. The heterogeneous lead single and album closer ‘Green Pea Coat’ is a definite highlight. Crunchy guitar chords open the track, and bluesy harmonica hooks the listener in, yet it is Tattersall’s animated vocal delivery and comical lyrics which give the song its distinct personality. “Everybody in the station wore black, and then there was you in your green pea coat,” he exclaims before the band breaks out in a frantic guitar interlude that would make Stephen Malkmus proud.

The Wave Pictures have always been a prolific and peculiar band, but with shades of Morrissey and American 90s indie rock, they have established themselves as a rarity in the rock n roll world; a band that can mash together a diverse of set influences whilst creating something that is still uniquely their own. ‘Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon’ is a record that draws inspiration from the history of rock without sounding nostalgic.

The Wave Pictures have not only added another great edition to their growing catalogue, but they’ve also managed to create one of the year’s best early releases.



(Trey Tyler)


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