The Flashpot Moments' "sillygoose" Has Your New Favorite Songs

Allow us to get right into it: this album has riffs and hooks galore. And yes, the name and the cover might make you want to ask questions, but it feels as though every single ounce of creative juice has been exerted to create nine tracks, all of which with their own unique concept, yet it seamlessly connects everything together. Think Green Day, but Billie Joe has decided to have more depth, layers, and trinkets to the overall arrangements than just a big ball of fuzz.

The Flashpot Moments is a project by Tim Cawley, a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and drummer from Boston, Massachusetts. He simply describes his music through a pyrotechnic device called a flashpot, which goes off in concerts during pivotal or groundbreaking moments of a show to create fireworks, and other flashy lights. To call one’s work as such right off the bat is remarkable, but ultimately draws attention to it for further review, to see what this guy’s all about.

It’s safe to say that the tones are clear and concise. “Blissful Absolutely” starts in an instant; the vocals and the certain technique it has reminds us of punk rock bands we adore and love. On the contrary, there’s nothing more complex than every component in “Simplify?”: the vocals are soaring, and the guitar parts are intricate and far from simple. This song acts like a plea in the midst of whelm, a request to make things simpler.

The ever-so familiar genre of rock is present all throughout, especially in “It’s a Shame About Ray” where everything starts loud. It’s got a nostalgic feel to it, just like “Sister Agnostic”, wherein with the help of the songwriting, the chorus’ melody is downright addicting.

What’s worth acknowledging is the harmonies, the guitar fill-ins, and the noticeable bassline despite the harmonious chaos, as they all merge together perfectly. “Out With A Bang” is more on the electronic rock side. It excels in the creation of a carefree-like atmosphere, a mixture of a party scene and a moment of solace and/or achievement. It’s the type of song to be chanted by a crowd while they clap their hands every now and then.

You instantly get pulled in by the subtle and quick riff in “Handsome Devils Running Slightly Wild”. It seems like everything about this track is fast-paced anyway, almost comparable to a shot of espresso. The chorus is catchy, so much so that you’d definitely find yourself playing this song everywhere after the first few listens. One notable little detail is the tremolo-like sound in the bridge, which is fun to listen to.

On the other hand, “Feel > Explain” as a song is a great concept. However, it has a different take on starting things, as it begins with piano, with the all-familiar distortion guitar and everything else joining it shortly. The line “It’s hard to explain, you just have to feel it” is honestly kind of remarkable on its own, because out of all the songs that explain a perspective in detail, this one line is concise, but it’s real and relatable. It goes to show that words are capable of betraying how we really feel.

Similarly, “In Defense of Low Art” feels genuine and human, that it’s almost hard to explain. It’s like an intimate moment of unraveling someone’s true self and experience through a song. The rhyming patterns add a nice touch, once again showing the artist’s capabilities in not only creating melodies, but in songwriting as well. The difference in terms of loudness and softness between the chorus and the verses are fun to listen to as well.

To wrap things up, if there’s any song from this record that completely defines rock n’ roll, it’s definitely “Dr. Rockenstein”. It summarizes, in a way, what everyone should expect when listening to this album, as it’s an alternative indie/rock classic. Not to mention it sends it all off with a bang (no pun intended). Check “sillygoose” out — you’d be missing out if you didn’t.