Album Mini-review: Flywheels — I’m for the Flowers
File next to: The Bangles, Young Fresh Fellows, Matthew Sweet
When Kim Wonderley takes lead vocals, the Flywheels sound a bit like early Bangles with a subtle touch of country twang. When Eric Scott – who sadly passed away before I’m for the Flowers was completed – sings lead, the group sounds closer to L.A. paisley underground scene of the 1980s: modern-ish rock filtered through a 60’s psychedelic sensibility. Rocking harder than most of their Mystery Lawn labelmates, the flywheels serve up a varied collection of hooky tunes on their debut. “Back of Head” is a stomping garage rocker, while the brief “Take My Wings” sounds like an outtake from Brian Wilson’s SMiLE. More subdued tracks like “Let Me Take You Down (to the Sea)” have a kind of grandeur that suggests the Flywheels have ambitions beyond the three-minute pop song. Allen Clapp’s layered production helps the Flywheels display their many strong musical assets.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, will be published in 2021 by HoZac Books.