The Lashes: Get It
Rating: (Red Ink/Columbia, 2005) The Lashes’ full length debut on Coumbia imprint Red Ink is strong one, and hopefully portends a long career for the Seattle rockers. Seattle may have permanently put itself on the musical map in the early 1990s with the grunge movement and the Big Four (Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam), but it’s been host to as many good bands as any city not named New York or Los Angeles. The area has spawned The Posies, MXPX, Sleater-Kinney, Harvey Danger and a list of plenty more bands of note, now including The Lashes. Get It shows that The Lashes definitely do, as their power pop fueled with pure punk energy blasts from the speakers like the dam holding their enthusiam just broke. Aside from a couple slower, less raucous numbers (which are quite lovely), the band races through the eleven tracks without stopping to ask if anyone needs a break, leaving listeners breathless and giddy by the end of the first track, “New Best Friend,” and they don’t let up until the end of “Wanna Girl.” “Please, Please, Please” stands out as an album highlight, too, as singer Ben Clark begs for what he wants (whatever that may be…). It wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see The Lashes on MTV, taking over the world soon. The album is slick enough (with production by John Goodmanson and mixing by Chris Lord Alge) to fit in the mainstream just fine, but it’s not so shiny that it will drive away the more open-minded indie kids. All in all, The Lashes’ Get It is an unqualified success, a record any modern rock fan should be able to get.
1. New Best Friend 2. Daddy's Little Girl 3. Sometimes The Sun 4. Safe To Say 5. Please, Please, Please 6. A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody 7. Dear Hollywood 8. Yesterday Feels Like A Year 9. Nate's Song 10. The World Needs More Love Letters 11. Wanna GirlBuy album
– Kevin



March 9th, 2006 at 2:24 pm
Great review Kevin
I can’t wait for The Lashes to start touring!
April 19th, 2006 at 11:26 am
Thanks for the props ;-). I’m looking forward to seeing them too. They’ll be in Lawrence in mid-May, so I might take a little vacation to see them.