''Flight of the Knife'' is the second album by the
Brooklyn area
indie rock artist
Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears. It is the group's first album as a full band, as the previous album ''
The Shredding Tears'' had been a solo effort primarily composed by
Bryan Scary
Bryan Scary (born Bryan Treitler) is an American musician.
Career
Scary's career in music began in Brooklyn, New York City. He received a degree in film production from New York University in 2005.
As a film student, Scary wrote and directed ...
. It was released on
Black and Greene Records
Black and Greene Records is an independent record label that was founded in 2004 by David Greene and Jeremy Black (Apollo Sunshine). Black & Greene Records is located and operated out of Los Angeles, California(September 21, 2007). "Cut a Drug Ru ...
in April 2008, and rereleased by
Needlejuice Records
Needlejuice Records is an independent record label founded in September 2017 and operated by Austin Aeschliman, Jace McLain, and Brandon Brown. The label's first release, issued in 2017, was the album ''Polygondwanaland'' by King Gizzard & the Li ...
on vinyl and cassette in October 2020.
Musical and lyrical themes
''Flight of the Knife'' is a
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
centering on the character of Airship Valentine and his mission to pilot The Knife, an airship referred to as "the greatest flying machine ever to take the skies." The album is also heavily influenced by
Thomas Pynchon's 2005 novel, ''
Against the Day''.
Reception
Named an "Editors Pick" on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
, ''Flight of the Knife'' was ranked the #6 rock album on iTunes and in the top 30 albums overall.
The album received generally favorable reviews, many noting the album's varied musical influences.
Pitchfork Media stated that ''Flight of the Knife'' "sucks in all kinds of 1970s – the canonic glitter-rock of
Sparks
Sparks may refer to:
Places
*Sparks, Georgia
* Sparks, Kansas
*Sparks, Kentucky
*Sparks, Maryland
* Sparks, Nebraska
*Sparks, Nevada
*Sparks, Oklahoma
*Sparks, Texas
* Sparks, Bell County, Texas
* Sparks, West Virginia
Books
* ''Sparks'' (Raffi ...
and
Queen, the
MOR
Mor or MOR may refer to:
Names and titles
* Mór (given name), a list of people named Mór or Mor
* Mor (surname), a list of people named Mor or Mór
* Mor (honorific), or Mar, in Syriac
Radio and television
* Middle of the road (music) genre
* ...
pop of
Wings and
ELO
Elo or ELO may refer to:
Music
* Electric Light Orchestra, a British rock music group
** ''The Electric Light Orchestra'' (album), the group's debut album
** ''ELO 2'', the group's second album
* ELO Part II, an offshoot band of Electric Light ...
, and the fleet-fingered prog of
Yes
Yes or YES may refer to:
* An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no
Education
* YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US
* YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...
and early
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
– but its crafty construction betrays a staunch determination to make a whole decade of once-guilty pleasures feel innocent all over again."
notes the album's improvement from its
predecessor, adding "whereas Scary's songs on the debut sometimes sounded like they were overtly indebted to those influences and predecessors, the far more cohesive Flight of the Knife is more like a patchwork quilt where some of the fabric scraps are immediately identifiable – check the Beach Boys-go-Devo pastiche in the second half of 'The Purple Rocket'! – but they're arranged in a harmonious and unique whole."
Track listing
#"Flight of the Knife (Pt I) – 5:38
#"Venus Ambassador" – 4:21
#"Imitation of the Sky" – 4:03
#"La Madame on the Moon" – 2:43
#"The Fire-Tree Bird" – 3:57
#"The Curious Disappearance of the Sky-Ship Thunder-Man" – 4:49
#"The Purple Rocket" – 4:15
#"The Zero Light" – 5:17
#"Mama Waits" – 2:45
#"Son of Stab" – 3:35
#"Heaven on a Bird" – 4:48
#"Flight of the Knife (Pt II)" – 3:35
References
External links
Official site for Flight of the KnifeOfficial site for Bryan Scary and the Shredding TearsMySpace for Bryan Scary and the Shredding TearsOfficial site for Black and Greene Records
{{Authority control
Bryan Scary albums
2008 albums
Concept albums
Needlejuice Records albums