I had been waiting with much anticipation to get my hands on Welcoming Home The Astronauts, the debut album from Flickerstick. If you have been watching VH1's - "Band's On the Run", you will have gotten to know the band pretty well. On the TV screen they come off as a talented bunch of drunken slackers. But onstage they become a different animal; confident, together and focused. They put on a really great stage show-but can that translate to a great record. The answer is YES

Welcoming Home The Astronauts is a real revelation. It shows a more complex side of the band. The album is full of dynamics and movement. A mix of pop, rock, punk and psychedelia , but there is nothing retro about them. If you didn't know they were from Dallas you would think they probably came from England. They have the power of The Manic Street Preachers and the passion of Radiohead.

This is a REAL album that you must listen to from start to finish. (Unlike so many discs today that have one good song and a bunch of filler.) They start off with the spacey "Lift." It starts off slow and moody and builds to a wonderful crescendo with Rex Ewing going wild on lead guitar. They are not afraid of starting of the album with a 6.30-minute epic. Flickerstick's stock in trade is going for the big chorus and it does not get any better than delightfully dark "Chloroform the one that you love."

"Coke", "Beautiful" and "Got a Feeling" are the radio ready tracks on the album. But it's not just pop songs on Welcoming Home The Astronauts "Sorry …wrong trajectory" and "Direct line to the telepathic" showcase a the future growth and maturity, with singer Brandin Lea not afraid to take some risks. A bit Pink Floyd (A good thing, really) sounding in parts.

The album is soon to be re-released with 2 new tracks but don't wait for that. Go get it now. It might still be hard to find, but you can get it from their web site http://www.flickerstick.com or from Amazon.com. The band is still looking for a major label record deal. You don't really expect VH1 to break new bands-but they have beaten everyone to the punch with Flickerstick. Hopefully the industry will play catch up soon.

Since this review Flickerstick has signed with Epic Records. They have remixed Welcoming Home The Astronauts and is available at CDNOW.

Best Track: Coke or Beautiful

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