MIIGHTΨ ΦLAΣLIGHT
randomness:
mike fellows... motor fixer murder fire murky further mister father mime frightens monkey fighter messy famous mobster fried moral freakout marble fronted market forest monster fiber mobster fried murmur feeder minor freebie muddy forest money find manly fraud more frantic miles forward major forumula maybe fine merely freedom may've found... miighty flashlight
Miighty Flashlight is the solo project of Mike Fellows, former bassist for the seminal D.C. hardcore band Rites of Spring. As one of the members who didn't later go on to play in Fugazi, he has performed with Happy Go Licky, Bonnie Prince Billy, Air Miami, Smog, Royal Trux, and the Silver Jews. In 2000, he sat down with his guitar, bass, and Macintosh Powerbook and composed an album.
Released on Jade Tree in 2002, Miighty Flashlight's eponymous debut weaves elements of folk, country, and electronica into a subtly textured, flowing work. The album was recorded at home on Fellows' Powerbook, with Fellows playing guitar, bass, piano, and adding electronic effects. Sung like a half-drunk truck driver at open-mic night, Fellows' lyrics are perhaps as incoherent and avant-garde as anything out there: "on top of ballet skool," he sings, "don't let me be misdiagnosed," or, "the east coast is wrong and all my neighbors had to die." No discernable theme runs through the album, but despite the incoherency of the lyrics, the overall feeling is one of consistancy. Miighty Flaslight rambles through three completely ad-libbed instrumentals—"Go on. Die. It's Easy," "Fatherland Focus," and "Forget This Space"—and seven sparkling yet understated songs incorporating gently plucked acoustic guitars, tapping drum machines, plunking pianos, and even an electronic flute loop on "Ventilating Zephyrs." The first instrumental, "Go on. Die. It's Easy," and "Ballet Skool," on which Fellows is assisted by the extra guitar of George W. Fellows Jr., are easily the highlights of the album, but the whole meandering work is best experienced in order.
Miighty Flashlight has toured with the alt-country group Califone, and after earning the attention and praise of Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite, toured with Mogwai... an odd combination to be sure, but probably really cool.
MIIGHTΨ ΦLAΣLIGHT
1. SEVERAL WATER CANNONS..............3:59
2. STOP BLOCKING......................3:31
3. GO ON. DIE. IT'S EASY..............5:36
4. VEHICULAR DOME.....................3:29
5. FATHERLAND FOCUS...................2:27
6. BALLET SKOOL.......................3:36
7. VENTILATING ZEPHYRS................3:15
8. FORGET THIS SPACE..................4:06
9. HALA HANAN DI HALIDA...............3:11
10. LAVISH CORDUROY...................5:15
Hello. We are gone.
Surprise your name is life on earth!
That's how it feels.
Believing in him comes and goes.
All typewriter text from Miighty Flashlight's cool and bizarre liner notes.
Sources:
Basement Life - http://66.9.86.135/mighty_flashlight.asp
Pitchfork Media - http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/m/miighty-flashlight/miighty-flashlight.shtml
All Music Guide - http://www.allmusic.com
Jade Tree Records - http://www.jadetree.com