Album review: The Pretty Flowers || Never Felt Bitter
Ambition meets renewed creative vigor on third LP
The Pretty Flowers seem intent on singlehandedly reviving alternative rock with their new album Never Felt Bitter, or so it seems! There’s a level of creativity and energy to this new batch of songs that’s hard to ignore, nor should you want to. The Pretty Flowers are an inspired bunch here. And I’m only labeling this as alternative rock because the band covers so much ground—from arena-ready rockers to catchy modern alt-pop and a whole lot more—and I don’t have the time today to go into all the details. Let’s say the RIYL (Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, and Wilco) paints far from a complete picture.
With a record touching so many corners of alt-rock, it’s the kind of album where some may label it as an AOTY contender for its ambition and execution, while others are just here for the singles in their preferred genre of choice. Listen to Thief Of Time if you’re into jangly modern power pop. Listen to To Be So Cool or Came Back Kicking if you like catchy punky college rockers. Listen to Ocean Swimming if you love punchy alt-pop, or jangly Teenage Fanclub-esque material like Convent Walls. There’s a lot of music on this LP, and the digging and picking process sure is rewarding.
There’s a reason the press release explicitly mentions songwriter Noah Green moving from a busy city apartment to a place of silence and space in the Sierra Madre. There’s a renewed vigor and level of creativity to The Pretty Flowers on Never Felt Bitter, and it shows in every corner of this thing.
Buy now on Cd or LP at Forge Again Records.