The Flaming Stars: Ginmill Perfume: The Story So Far 1995-2000

Max Décharné spent years behind a drum kit in the Bad Seeds-esque Gallon Drunk before stepping out in front of The Flaming Stars in 1995. As if to make up for lost time, the British band has since released album after album of terrific, understated garage rock, for a total of four full-length discs, a dozen singles, and a pair of compilations. Unfortunately, the group never toured America until this year, and its excellent records have been available only as imports. The Flaming Stars' U.S. debut comes courtesy of a seemingly unlikely fan, Jello Biafra, who released the primer Ginmill Perfume: The Story So Far on his usually punk- and noise-centric Alternative Tentacles label. More a sampler than a presumptuous greatest-hits package, the collection gathers 15 songs from the band's catalog and arranges them to run like an album. That task couldn't have been too difficult, considering the sonic uniformity of the Flaming Stars oeuvre: Most of its songs are carefully under-produced to maximize their visceral impact. The tracks from the group's first two years sound particularly gritty, with each element fighting to be heard; this is clearly a band that prefers a wild and lively first take to the sterile weight of overdubs. And the songs themselves couldn't be simpler. A driving, no-frills rhythm section pushes along Décharné's smoky baritone and the sound of whatever keyboard he's using, whether he's pounding on a piano, Jerry Lee Lewis style ("Like Trash"), or rolling out '60s organ sounds borrowed from Question Mark & The Mysterians ("Only Tonight"). Facile signifiers and pompadours aside, The Flaming Stars is clearly not a retro or novelty act: Its music couldn't exist without the influence of punk's devil-may-care attitude, and comparisons made to The Jesus And Mary Chain and Tindersticks are just as apt as those made to any number of '60s garage bands. Along with whatever influences it brings to the table, The Flaming Stars also brings songs of the most engaging sort, managing to be simple and driving, hot and cool.