FLAUNT - Rave Noir (Self-Released)

FLAUNT is back with their newest record, Rave Noir. The group is an audio/visual band of mysterious collaborators from Maine and Colorado who work together over the internet. Far less cartoonish than Gorillaz, the relatively faceless collective is centered around a core of musicians, specifically Justin Jennings and Joseph Vitterito. A mix of gritty indie rock and raw synth pop, FLAUNT sounds like the combination of stripped down hip hop and the angular repetition of bands such as The Fall.

The album is influenced, somewhat, by the musical variety of old school radio, which is why an experimental slice of R&B like “Rave On” can be followed immediately afterwards by a bluesy rocker like “I Don’t Wanna Fall Asleep.” A definite highlight of the record is the soulful, 60’s sounding “Love Run,” one of the few songs here one could call a clear single release. The album is best digested as a conceptual whole, but songs like “Love Run” and “Messiah” have wonderfully twisted and warped senses of the traditional pop structure.

When a band decides to, in some way, disguise their identity or make their personalities a secondary concern, it puts the focus first and foremost on the music. It’s a risky idea that isn’t always successful, but it clearly works wonderfully on Rave Noir.