CD Review

With Interpol leading the trend within the Joy Division/Cure renaissance of gloomy/cerebral rock, there’s another New York band wearing the 5:00 am shadow to belong with their darkened contemporaries.

Formed in 2001, The Flesh blends synthesizer rhapsody with 80’s rooted new wave, placing a hip-hop jest atop their moody vibe. The four piece of youngsters strive to be as shockingly revealing as their band name, while infusing robotic beats and glitchy electronica atop thier punk fury.

Produced by Martin Bisi (Iggy Pop, Brian Eno) this debut, like the recent freshman release from The Killers, travels through a progressively dark and adventurous spirit that fits boldly in the club scene – both CBGBs and Webster Hall. The ten tracks on this full-length debut are built around Nat Halpern’s lead vocals that lay in aggressive eroticism and Garbriella Zappia’s psycho circus keyboard lines. Halpern’s voice is fresh, about as unproven as the rest of the countless other new-wave revitalization bands, but he combines swagger in just the urgently prolific places to keep the energy potent. Perhaps something can be said about the chosen track order, gracing the album with a budding sense of urgency, as the ten tracks build upon one another with momentous energy.

The standout track is "Lonely Little Hunter," that weds all the infectious disco/new-wave elements that made those two love it or hate it genres tolerable in the first place. As Halper robustly exclaims in "Foes" – "the world is mine, "proving maybe so or maybe not. Yes, The Flesh may not be as shocking as they try to profess, but their debut album will offer ten lusty anthems to help get your night owl draped upon.