How on earth did such a gentle record get into my record collection? Well actually by both seeing the band live and subsequently hearing a track from the record on one of the many compilation CDs that magazines are prone to giving away at present. (Obviously)
I never got round to reviewing the band's live set with Mercury Rev in Glasgow in January. It was a bit puzzling, there was gentle stuff, up tempo stuff (almost like the Cranberries!) and some noisy stuff. The band were cramped in front of the Rev's gear, with barely room to swing a cat - not a problem for the singer, who looked terrified, nor the majority of the band who stood stock still, but definitely a problem for the tall, stooped guitarist, who swayed and kicked his legs throughout the set, miraculously avoiding hitting anyone else on stage. The closing number was or turned into a version of The Triffids ' 'Raining Pleasure', which ended with a (timorous) mantra of the line "It's raining pleasure" underneath a storm of noise. This was a little less surprising when I later discovered they were Australian (or Tasmanian) - I mean who else has heard of the Triffids these days? I wasn't 100% convinced by the live show, but the track on the Uncut CD earlier in the year and the lure of the extra remix CD were enough when I was in Virgin with a token to burn.
The collaborators on the remix CD (e.g. Lee Ranaldo and Mogwai) would suggest noise is a possibility on the main record, but that is a misleading impression. Indeed listening to the record, the complete lack of white noise makes these collaborators quite improbable. What has attracted these guys to this record?
'Flight Paths' is a very restrained, even still, record, in some ways like 'Deserter's Songs' is in places, but, well not really. It has a strong Celtic strand running through it - a lot of the melodies do say Ireland to me, but it's a melancholic Celtic connection - there's little exuberance here. Take the single - a hushed version of the Live Aid anthem 'Drive' - it illustrates this LP's approach perfectly and has a real beauty to it.
It's difficult to pick out tracks - just about every song has some gorgeous melody or guitar line tucked away in it. "Derwent River Star" is perhaps the most uptempo track on the album with its twangy guitar whilst "Daniel" builds on some stately keyboards.
The remix album is bit of an odd record - certainly the songs textures are changed, but I'm not convinced that many of the remixes do the originals much justice. Intriguing perhaps, but far from essential.
So this isn't a high octane thrill in any way, but it's another album of strong songs, albeit not in a typical MMMM fashion. Recommended.