St. Louis' So Many Dynamos have their feet firmly planted on the same shaky, unstable ground as Les Savy Fav and Q and Not U. The tracks on their sophomore release, Flashlights, feature upbeat tempos and driving melodies bursting through chaotic arrangements. Their debut garnered plenty of Dismemberment Plan comparisons, and while vocalist Aaron Stovall still sounds a bit like Travis Morrison, they've built on that foundation to create their own sound-- complete with horns, banjo, piano, and a 30-piece choir. So just like the band has done, let's leave the comparisons behind and let the album hit us head on, with its own strengths and weaknesses.
What initially strikes me as impressive about Flashlights is how in control of the chaos the band seems. Most of these songs are brimming with excitement, at times pushing things into post-punk territory. In addition, there are curveballs galore, where the band turns a song on its ear, breaking into something completely different for seconds at a time. Take "Search Party", for example. It begins as a jangly indie rock song with a dance beat and catchy guitar leads. Stovall's shouted vocals carry the verses to a sing-along chorus before the song transforms into a series of blasts of percussion, squawking horns, and group shouts.
The album's Chris Deckard production-- featuring up-front group harmonies and airy drums-- gives the impression of a live performance, but the guitars are crisp and clear. On tracks like the reserved "How High the Moon" this lends a darkness to the mood, while on "Inventing Gears" it helps reign in the chaos, with the buzz of the bass guitar cutting through the noodling guitars and spastic drumming. Stovall's vocals, unfortunately, sometimes rely too heavily on tuneful speaking rather than actual singing or shouting. His phrasing is usually great, but there are moments when the vocals are distracting and end up working against the momentum of the song. Thankfully, the disc's final two tracks, "In Our Sleep" and "Let's Move Mountains", shut things down on a high note. Both feature lengthy instrumental interludes where the auxiliary instruments are woven seamlessly into the band's established sound. And while some people may find it hard to get past the band's no-qualms policy of wearing their influences on their collective sleeve, that would be a shame given the strength of Flashlights' more adventurous moments.