marc flynn makes good tunes... listen it's poptastic.  good deal for good sounds.
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Anyone who’s familiar with Boston’s local scene will recognize the name Marc Flynn: once the co-vocalist of Big D And The Kids Table, he also co-led the punchy-yet-quirkily melodic Drexel with current The Lot Six member Aaron Sinclair. Having been relatively silent since Drexel went caput several years back, Flynn has returned with The Sharking, the logical continuation of the acoustic stuff he had been dabbling with toward the end of Drexel. The strength of Flynn’s songs has always been the off-kilter melodic vocals, and The Sharking put ‘em front and center. Evoking the later period Elvis Costello records such as Mighty Like a Rose and Brutal Youth, Flynn somehow crams playful verbal meter (well pronounced too, mind you) and surprising melodic twists-and-turns into a deceivingly “pop” aesthetic, all the while his more than capable backing band muscularly accentuates the right moments (not unlike The Attractions). What you get are songs smart enough to be in the same league as Spoon, but catchy enough to be paired up with Ad Frank or The Apples In Stereo. It’s not only great to witness the return of one of Boston’s most refreshing songwriters, but to see that some people do still write songs without preconceived notions of genre or hipness.
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The Sharking’s little-known status belies their skill. With over 20 years of collective touring experience under the members’ belts, the Sharking has issued a debut filled with catchy, up-tempo guitar rock. The energetic, straightforward vocal delivery portrays the band’s intelligent, thoughtful reflections perfectly, and never ventures into the cliched avenues of girls or angst. Borrowing Elvis Costello’s approach and an indie pop star’s attitude, the Sharking’s complex set of influences contribute to an impressive whole. For this, only the very broad label of “rock” seems appropriate. With a riff or two seemingly taken straight from Deep Purple, the Sharking pulls on more influences than most groups do in their entire careers. The New Englanders aren’t totally above imitation — on “Life Has Been,” the singer puts on his best impression of Spoon’s Britt Daniels, and the band gleefully follows suit. But overall, the artists present a promising composite of earnest songwriting that has just the right number of hooks. While the debut’s six tracks seem to meld into one long exercise, the Sharking is sure to stay a stand-out act.
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