Not-so-fast blast

Psych-rockers Final Flash play
it largo with their cargo

HOMEWARD BOUND: Final Flash

by ERIK LEIJON

At this time last year, it seemed as though local rock mainstays Final Flash would be celebrating the transition from 2009 to 2010 already knee-deep in promotion for their debut album. The psychedelic folk-rockers have gone at speeds somewhat slower than superhero speedster the Flash in releasing their anticipated first effort, but the extra time may also ensure they won’t be mere flashes in the pan.

“My God, we started recording over a year ago,” says frontman Joey Chaperon Cyr, who can now safely declare Homeless will reach your home… sometime this spring, anyway. “It was a long process, but at the same time, it gave us time to breathe in between, and have a more objective view on what we were doing. We could step away and come back with a better idea of how to make the album stronger.”

As to why the release date of Homeless was pushed back into the next decade, it luckily has nothing to do with internal strife—the band signed a national distribution deal with EMI and must now wait patiently, tinkering with their puppy while the bigwigs strategize some antiquated grand entrance.

To those already familiar with their live repertoire, the album should prove intriguing. Alongside producer Jace Lasek (Besnard Lakes), Final Flash have greatly expanded their British-inflected sound in the studio—adding a second guitar track, punching up choruses and making the arrangements more robust. Although modest and workmanlike in their many 2009 performances, with the album finally dropping, the band is also aspiring to recast themselves with a stronger visual component on stage.

“The retro aesthetic is what we’re into. That late-’60s psychedelic vibe. We’re going to be trying out new stuff at our shows, trying to capture the mood of each song.”

The group’s touring itinerary for 2010 is still being laid out, although they look to exceed last year’s highlight of performing in China (as part of TRANSMIT-China) by returning to the People’s Republic, hitting Japan and then England for the Great Escape festival. Chaperon Cyr says they still haven’t even narrowed down a local venue to launch their CD, although, in keeping with the spirit of the ’60s, are looking for an unconventional “factory with a Warhol-type atmosphere.”

Those au courant with all things Mirror may recall Final Flash’s unconventional introduction in the publication. One of the Rant Line™’s more memorable multi-part story arcs of 2009 involved an alleged young woman and her deep connection with Chaperon Cyr after catching the band live at M on the Quays in September.

To set the record straight, Chaperon Cyr says he personally never called, and he’s not sure if a final rant defending him was made by one of his bandmates.

WITH INTENSIVE CARE, HOEFIZER AND
DIVINGBELL AT CASA DEL POPOLOON
FRIDAY, JAN. 8, 9 P.M., PWYC