‘History Be Kind‘ is the debut album from Bristol four piece, Flights. The band released their debut self titled EP in 2011 to largely favourable reviews. But now, three years on, they’re back with more to prove than ever before.
For those of you who aren’t aware of what the band sounds like; the simplest way to put it is ambient rock with an overlay of poetic lyrics.
Opening track, ‘Storms‘, gets the EP off to a slow start, beginning in the most delicate way with its entrancing vocals. If you’re expecting anything loud or energetic, then perhaps this album might not be the one for you. This is the kind of music that makes you feel as though you’re floating on air.
That being said, throughout the album there are subtle shifts in energy. ‘Empire Gone‘ seems to be slightly more upbeat with its soaring chorus and robust opening riff. While ‘The Ghost Of Things‘ shows off a much more raucous side to Flights’ sound towards the end of the track. ‘Yellow Bentines‘ drags the album into much more interesting territory with piercing harmonies and a simple but clever melody. It may be one of the shortest tracks on the album, but it sure is a contender for the strongest.
But it’s pipped to the post by ‘Disappointed But Not Surprised‘, which sees Flights up the tempo and bring a whole new group of musical elements to the table, from its groovier drum beats to that twinkling guitar melody in the background. This is head and shoulders above everything else on the album.
Largely, this album is made up of tracks that can only be described as otherworldly. From the enchantingly melancholy ‘Tired And Worn‘ to the hauntingly sombre ‘Night Pool Supervisor‘. Give these tracks half a chance and they’ll transport you to another universe. That’s a guarantee.
‘Borrowed Time‘ brings in some slight mathcore influences with its fluctuating pace; keeping listeners on their toes and injects a bit more colour into the album. Wrapping things up is, ‘Doubts‘. This nostalgic, understated look at the storytellers’ past concludes the album in the most fitting and moving way. Very often, artists seek to close their albums with a bang; well this track proves that you don’t have to follow that rule.
To the casual listener, ‘History Be Kind’ can sometimes be a tad too subtle, only fluctuating up or down a couple of notches. It sometimes feels as if it’s one of those albums that you put on in the background, where all the tracks merge into one after a while. But if you are after a bit of easy listening, it’d be worth your time to listen to this album, chill out and soak up everything it has to offer. Give it the attention it deserves and only then will you begin to realise that this is so much more than background music.
