The Flatliners
Cavalcade
Fat Wreck Chords
8/10
A friend of mine had a band called the Flatliners in the mid nineties- this is not that band. This Flatliners has just released their second album on Fat Wreck Chords, and that makes them infinitely better than my friend’s high school band. Granted, they do still sound like every band that has ever been on Fat Wreck (with the exception of Against Me!).
While that might sound like a negative thing to say, just about everything Fat Wreck puts out is really good. Cavalcade is no exception. It starts out strong with a pummeler, “The Calming Collection,” which is followed by “Carry the Banner,” featuring some nice gang vocals; it sounds like it’ll be a great sing-a-long number. They do the ska thing in a few places, most notably on “He Was a Jazzman.” Another drum-driven song with a little ska thrown in has possibly the best song title ever in “Shithawks.” This is definitely a solid release. Fans of the Fat Wreck sound will not be disappointed.
Lastly, the band is Canadian, which puts our neighbors up north a notch closer to making up for Celine Dion.
–Luke Toney