Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Puerto Rico Flowers - "3 Sisters"


Our friends and proprietors of my favorite record label in Baltimore, Chris and Sean of Fan Death Records, recently sent over the single to a forthcoming LP in the works.

The forthcoming release is by Puerto Rico Flowers, and it's called 7. Its due out on wax this summer, and follows up the EP titled 4 and the 7" called 2 that came out last year on Fan Death. I was sent the rough mixes of the new record yesterday, and have played nothing else since. It appears likely that this is going to be the biggest record that Fan Death has released, as John Sharkey III may be relinquishing his opus upon us.



"3 Sisters" is the first single to be heard from the new LP, and is a solid example of the massive nature of the forthcoming record. With his first two releases Sharkey displayed his ability to sound huge while keeping it incredibly simple, with sparse blends of synths, guitars, and drums that sounded much more prevalent when put together. This presence is what anchors "3 Sisters", easily Puerto Rico Flowers' heaviest pop song to date.

While the single hits harder than Gravedigger's descent onto junkyard cars, it's the more intimate moments on the record that will likely cement this as an instant classic. The last track is the best example of this, as "After The Weekend" recalls Neil Young's more personal moments, all while maintaining the grungy dark-wave vibe more commonly found. Fan Death told me it's his "See The Sky About To Rain" or "Philadelphia".

The new record finds Sharkey working with Philly's Jeff Zeigler (Kurt Vile,The War on Drugs, Clockcleaner, FNU Ronnies) on production. Kurt Vile guests on the record, appearing on the track "Keep Me Around". 7 is out via Fan Death Records in May/June.

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