LOS FLECHAZOS

Alta Fidelidad / Días Grises

★★★

BOTH ELEFANT LPS + CD

Probably the best-loved band to emerge from the Spanish mod revival scene in the late ’80s to mid-90s, Los Flechazos may be almost 20 years gone but they’re not forgotten. These deluxe reissues of the group’s 1995 album  Alta Fidelidad  and ’96 EP  Días Grises  – released as part of Elefant Records’ ongoing 25th anniversary celebrations, complete with extra tracks and lovely coloured vinyl – sound as fresh as ever.

By this late stage of their prolifi c career, Álex Diez and the gang had perfected their trademark sound: an assured mix of vintage-pop sensibility, super-melodic choruses, swirling organ, and soulful vocals. While echoes of Brit legends like The Who, The Kinks and The Jam can be heard throughout, Diez’s songwriting talent ensured that Los Flechazos were never mere pale imitations. Indeed, tracks like ‘Días Grises’ and ‘Pretty Sight Full of Sorrow’ demonstrate perfectly what can happen when inspiration intersects with the right infl uences… ¡dinamita!

Sam Wilson