Music Review: Enter Shikari – A Flash Flood Of Colour

For many reasons, for many people, last year was a tough one. From financial to emotional, many ships went down and all our life boats were tested to their limits, trashed by forces seemingly beyond our control, most barely survived. 2012, it’s a new year. So what do we do about it? ‘Sssnakepit’ has the answer, actually more a battle cry, ‘Just push right back!’

Flash Floor of Colour review

Listening to the third album from team Enter Shikari, I was wondering if they somehow hadn’t arranged the UK storms that introduced the new year. To hopefully blast away the lingering bad air of yesteryear, and ready us to reinvigorate our hearts, minds & souls. After listening to ‘A Flash Flood Of Colour’, you’ll believe they have storm wielding powers too.

Oscar Wilde once said ‘If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.’ Rou (Reynolds) and the boys seemingly want to add ‘make them laugh, stand up, jump, sing, scream, dance, mosh, stage dive, bounce’, but most importantly ‘wake up and live your life’ to the phrase. But you are definitely going to hear the truth, and you will be better for it.

Rou’s lexicon may not be as far reaching as Mr Wilde, but I’m not bothered. Mr Wilde never made me want to jump around in a mosh pit till I nearly faint from pure joy. There’s an immediacy, playfulness, humility to the lyrics that are perfect for the messages/tales they are sharing with us. In a world somewhat built on spin, lies, and advertising clogging up the airways, such simplicity is wonderfully refreshing.

And Rou’s voice really is sounding amazing, even beautiful. ‘And with these humble tools, we can trigger any emotion we choose’ so poignantly sung on ‘Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here’ and such tenderness can be found again on ‘Stalemate’ and ‘Constellations’. But thankfully you always know he has the primal scream primed in readiness in the background.

These ‘System Mechanics’ [Sssnakepit] have REALLY found their sound in this album. The basic ingredients are there from the first two albums, now honed to near perfection. As technology evolves, so too the band. But their subject focus remains true. They know ‘this is such exciting times to be alive’, but ‘our generations got to fight to survive’. ‘It’s not too late’ [System…/…Meltdown].

The drum beats, bass, sounds, guitars and noises on the album only add immense weight to the lyrics. Like a shot of adrenaline, you can feel the pace of your pulse pick up very swiftly as the album rages around you. The production is awesome. The album is built to be listened to very loud, but ideally on an even better sound system, ie with a couple of thousand people at one of their gigs.

This album is a call to arms, to stand up for what we believe in. Ignore the lies we are being told and sold. “We gotta find something new’ [Search Party] , something better for all of us. It’s all our new years resolution, and together I know we will find it. There’s no better place to start the quest than Enter Shikari and ‘A Flash Flood Of Colour’.

Enter Shikari ‘A Flash Flood Of Colour’ is released on 16th January 2012 through Ambush Reality (UK) and Hopeless Records (North America).

Steve Clarke

Born in Celtic lands, nurtured in art college, trained by the BBC, inspired by Hunter S. Thompson and released onto the battlefront of all things interesting/inspiring/good vibes... people, movies, music, clubbing, revolution, gigs, festivals, books, art, theatre, painting and trying to find letters on keyboards in the name of flushthefashion. Making sure it's not quite on the western front... and beyond.