Flannel Season - Flannel Season

Flannel Season

Flannel Season
self-released; 2015

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

The three-piece band Flannel Season comprised of Larson (drums/vocals), Claire (bass/vocals) and Joe (guitar/vocals) has an appropriate name. For anyone old enough to remember growing up in the ‘90s it was a time where flannel shirts were associated with all things grunge. Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell made the apparel somewhat hip. Like a lot of fashion it was already passé by the time it became pervasive and department stores like Kmart and H&M were trying to make a quick buck of the trend.

I pretty sure that Flannel Season knew what they were doing when they decided to use that as their name. Their music would fit perfectly into ‘90s grunge era where bands like The Melvins, Mudhoney and The Screaming Trees had some minor successes due to the cultural explosion of Nirvana. 

The four-song on their self-titled EP Flannel Season are straightforward rock songs. There aren’t any electronic elements or samples. It’s a no frills style rock that doesn’t need much explanation. The band opens with “Open Satan” which is unequivocally about worshipping the devil.

It’s a decent well written song but the lyrics are a bit scary and I felt they would have been more at home with a death metal band. The vocalist sings, “You are so special, I'll keep your head in the fridge / Your heart I'll nestle, I'm really getting the itch / These hooks and daggers, they're really getting me hard / I'll get it started, taking turns being scarred.”

The title “One Foot in Hell” made me chuckle a bit. Am I wrong? I think you’re either in or out. Claire sings this song and I liked her voice. She sounds best when she sings, “Once for today then stay the fuck away / No excuse for fraudulence / One foot in Hell, step to expel / Putrescence inside of me.” That being said she has trouble staying in key during the verse.

The third track “Iowaska” which seems to play on the word ayahuasca. There are no lyrics given for this song. It’s a decent track but it has no focal center. They close with “Autumn Song” which is the highlight on the EP. The seven-minute-plus song has the best vocal melodies and most memorable chorus. You can hear some early Soundgarden on this track.

Flannel Season EP has some solid songs but does little to define the band as anything more than a grunge band. The competition is stiff out there with liked minded bands. Overall, if nothing else, the EP is a tip of the hat to grunge and diehard fans will appreciate that.

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