The Time Flys - Fly (Birdman, 2005)

The Time Flys
Fly
Birdman
2005

Rating: 7 Howard Johnsons out of 10
 
The Time Flys remind me a lot of the bands that populated one of the “lost eras” of rock music – the mid 70s, a time when straight-forward guitar-heavy music with no frills was controlling the eight-track players in everyone’s Pinto and Nova.  And it should be noted that by “lost” I mean in terms of visibility to the general public - when your average joe thinks back on the 1970s, this type of music is not generally what pops in the mind right off…hippy rock had ruled for years and was just wrapping up and the world hadn’t turned into disco vs. punk just yet. These “proto-punk” bands – New York Dolls, The Dictators, Rocket from the Tombs, Richard Hell – they set the stage for what would become punk music, and obviously played a large role in forming the sound of The Time Flys. These songs are too catchy for punk and too punk for power-pop, and the whole thing intentionally sounds like it was recorded in a deep dirt hole in someone’s basement, with the mic placed in the attic. In other words, it’s pretty friggin’ good. With song titles like “Smokin’ Dope”, “Jailbait”, and “In My Skool”, I don’t think any detailed analysis of the lyrics are necessary. Also included is a cover of the Ly-Dells “Teenage Years”, a brief doo-wop respite in a sea of jittery rock, and a damn fine cover at that.  This is very much what the essence of rock-n-roll is all about.