The Lions Constellation – Flashing Light

Spanish JAMC/Pixies enthusiasts The Lions Constellation could just have become my favourite sub-genre of the Summer with the arrival of this album. The Barcelona quartet, who feature RJ Sinclair of Tokyo Sex Destruction, sing in flawless English and here release eleven great tunes in the same sonic vein as their obvious influences.

If A Place To Bury Strangers were 2008’s darlings of this sound then these guys are most definitely 2009’s, albeit overall their tunes are lighter in tone – the same root nurtures both groups. Like all the best purveyors of the amped up, over-driven garage rock-cum-shoegaze mode the songs are all mighty similar and yet bear listening to again and again. This could be the first album of the year that I play till I’m sick of it if I don’t start rationing myself.

Taking all the above into account it’s therefore a bit difficult to pick out favourite tracks from the disc but after the first half-dozen listens the ones I find myself anticipating the most are ‘Kiss Me’, ‘The End Of Our Days’, ‘Lies About Love’ (their two most Ride-like numbers) and the epic ‘She’s My Heroine’.

If ever there was a good reason to visit Spain just to see a gig then catching this lot in action is probably that reason.