There’s not a lot of information floating out there on the Internet about the Welsh band Fflaps. I know they existed from 1987 to 1992, and they sang primarily (if not exclusively) in Welsh. From the sound of the tracks up on their Myspace page, they were very much of their time and continent: Ann Matthews’s airy yet intense vocal style, combined with the chaotic, blistering guitar sounds, reminds me somewhat of their contemporaries The Ex, or maybe The Dog-Faced Hermans.
The main thing I learned while researching this record is that Wikipedia has fallen down on the job on their “Welsh musical acts page,” which lists Fflaps but somehow completely neglects McLusky, certainly my favorite Welsh band of the last decade - sorry, Songdog*.
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“Nice voice + hooks, lyrics in a foreign language + an abundance of guitar grunge.” “Yes.” “The foreign language is Welsh. Without knowing what in heck they’re saying, they sound like un-jaded garage rockers to me. I didn’t think this was that bad.” “Joky translations of the song ideas on back (in tiny handwriting).” “I love her voice!” “NNTNBT: 6/27/78 - Good listener response.” “Should be in H. Excellent power pop the likes of which we only rarely receive. [Did 'power pop' used to mean something else?]“ |
*I have never heard Songdog, and picked their name completely at random. Whenever I get around to listening to them they might well turn out to be my new favorite Welsh band of the last decade.
