Flicker hails from Sacramento, CA, and, like most bands from that area, chooses emotion as the main aspect of their music. Before you put them in the pile of such bands as Shortie or Tenfold, though, let me warn you: they sound nothing like the aforementioned bands. What sets Flicker apart from the Sacramento scene is the fact that their music is drenched with passion. Instead of other Sacramento bands which use emotion as only part of their song writing, Flicker IS 101% emotion, in it's most pure and intense form. Still, the band does it in somewhat of a "heavy" way that is sure to please those who need more than just a beautiful voice and touching music to be entertained.
Somewhat comparable to a heavier version of Far mixed perhaps with Jimmy Eat World, Flicker sure holds their own and don't ever sound like a copycat. Overall, the music itself doesn't sound like any of today's acts, but Scott and Shaun's guitars are somewhat reminiscent of Far, perhaps with a little bit more of intensity. The wise usage of dynamics by the musicians adds a lot to the band's emotional side while Jared's passionate voice forefront's the music and closes the circle, making everything sound round and perfect. Lyrically, the album touches upon subjects such as relationships gone bad and regrets and obsessions, in such an honest way, that you will almost feel a tingle through all of your body. It's kind of scary to see what this band have accomplished in less than a year of serious work. In fact, listening to "Pushing The Airwaves" can be almost terrifying, in the sense that the band sounds very talented and have already reached a status of musicianship that could leave bands older than them jealous.
Something that also wins up as a plus for the band is that, as opposed to other emo / emocore bands, none of their songs sound the same. Of course the fact that the album only has 4 songs may be the cause of this, but either way, each song carries its own kind of a different emotion, and besides being quite enjoyable, it is also something that rarely happens.
"Pushing The Airwaves", may not be anything groundbreaking, but is definitely is a breathtaking release when considering that Flicker have been together for less than one year. The music that's shown here is worthy of an experienced band, and it's impressive to know that they could find their own style and compose these 4 excellent songs in such a short period of time. Sure, the record needs a little tightening up here and there, but it's something common for debut's, and most will probably end up overlooking the album's flaws as a result.
Flicker keeps constantly pushing their airwaves to the masses as much as they can, leaving a trace of tears wherever they manage to pass by. Music as passionate and intense as this can not be easily found or written, and, even though Flicker are still walking their first steps into the world of music, the steps they walk are genuinely gigantic, and are putting them further than any of the average one year old bands. With this release the flicker has already happened. Now we just have to wait for the fire.
(4 / 5)
