Jack Manley- “FLC Punk”
Photo by Josh Goleman
New York-based singer-songwriter Jack Manley delights the blog with the cool indie rock track, “FLC Punk.”
“FLC Punk” is a track that will get comparisons to what the Brits called “indie sleaze” in the early noughties. Some may detect a vibe of The Strokes in the angular guitar layers and also the way that the vocal sits in the mix. The track though is more relaxed, less hurried than what was contained on Is This It. That’s not to say that there aren’t any aggressive moments here… far from it! Ironically, “FLC Punk” lyrically navigates topics of privilege, alienation and the costs of ambition. This maybe is a wry, unintentional middle finger to old Casablancas who is himself a nepotism baby who bathed in the structural privileges of money and connections.
For me, it would be unfair to compare “FLC Punk” to just The Strokes. It walks the same lineage as The Velvet Underground, Television or The Cars. The upbeat groove of the acoustic guitars can be found on the poppier moments of The Coral. Many of the angular lead guitar layers remind me more of Robert Fripp’s textural work. Other areas where the music is breathes like a fuzzy daydream, we get a rich dose of bass and glassy ambiance that sits closer to the hazier guitar moments of Nick McCabe. It is just good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll and that is why this track is awesome.
Coming back to The Strokes, vocally Jack Manley is a far better singer than Casablancas. He is not masking errors behind distortion effects. The performance is classic, minimalist post-punk. Detached, yet filled with a unique sense of emotion. It oozes a sense of rebellion that indie rock thrives off. “FLC Punk” is pure, classic indie rock that is raw, authentic and brimming full of cool sounds. This is for music fans who just love catchy guitar riffs, timeless swagger and classic nonchalant vocals.