Flop Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Returning fully to Frontier Records after Whenever You're Ready was deemed a commercial failure by Sony, Flop wrapped up its short but sweet existence with one more great record. World of Today stints neither on the hooks nor the blasting power, and with Kurt Bloch again doing the production, all is more than well. If Willoughby sounds a touch brusquer at points than before, especially in comparison to Whenever You're Ready, it's in the service of engagingly pumping it up and blowing down the door. Though Flop really never changed from start to end in terms of what it did, it did it well, and more often than not Willoughby's sly lyrics pack in a lot in a short amount of space. "Waste of Space" is a good example from World of Today, capturing a situation of emotional frustration smartly: "Complain in a word or two but never action/Wasted is the useless space I occupy/Worried that my heart will never be satisfied." As before, pop smarts also cover accomplished musicianship; more than once the quartet creates a rock-out din that could easily match any of the big Seattle names of the early '90s. Perhaps Willoughby just needed to sing gruffly instead of sunnily about his pain. Subtlety in the music is never far away either -- the acoustic breakdown and distanced vocal echo in the middle of "April Ate Our World" or the prominent, lovely surfy twang in "Around." The group also makes a neat nod to the past via a rollicking cover of the Move's "Yellow Rainbow." With this as an epitaph, Flop shows that while they weren't the great lost band of the '90s, they deserved far more attention than some of the losers who got it instead. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With production from Martin Rushent, known for his work with the Buzzcocks in their late-'70s heyday, Whenever You're Ready finds the band taking the merry plunge into major-label existence. Strictly speaking, the band barely changed at all, except that Willoughby's voice came across with a more Beatle-y feeling, one could say. It seems to be a combination of his own efforts and Rushent's ear for bringing vocals out as much as the music, and while again his isn't a perfect voice, it's a really good one for Flop as a whole, a delicious semi-whine falsetto. The unchanged quartet brings its collective skills out to play with a burst of delight, again playing around with both more "typical" pop/punk inspirations and a strong, shuddering way around metal riffing gone pretty. Check out the instrumental breaks in "Regrets," Johnson's drumming again balancing out several different things at once, not to mention the great singing from all involved on the chorus. Other brilliant examples of what could almost be called peppy grunge include "Pluto," with a hard-rocking final section fading off and away, and the galloping opening à la "Achilles Last Stand" or "Barracuda" for "The Great Valediction," leading, of course, into a totally sunny delivery from the band even as it accelerates along. More openly playful instances of the band having its own fun include the glam-touched "En Route to the Unified Field Theory," Schurr's bass leading the descending notes from everyone else and guest cello from Kim Carter providing a final flourish. The gentler acoustic/electric swing of "A Fixed Point," vocals touched with just a bit of distortion, and the hint of Spector-arranged drama in the smart "Night of the Hunter," very specifically dealing with the Robert Mitchum film in question, are two more highlights of many. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
'Flop and the Fall of the Mopsqueezer!'
Release Date 1/1/1992
Tracks 16
Label Frontier
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
More than most outside the city would have realized in the early '90s, Seattle's music scene was all over the place, as this delightfully brash and fun debut album shows. Like a more punk-edged Cheap Trick (though certainly Willoughby can't measure up to Robin Zander's amazing pipes, but has a good set of his own), Flop takes pop hooks and loud riffs to the masses with good humor and energetic playing. With production mostly by Young Fresh Fellows/Fastbacks guru Kurt Bloch, who obviously knew a good time when he saw it, Mopsqueezer skips from one highlight to the next. Including the Kinks' "Big Sky" as a cover choice is actually a touch misleading -- Village Green Preservation Society this isn't, either as a concept or as quite so mannered a style, though it's still a fine romp through a solid Ray Davies number that's not out of place. There's as much metal riffing as melody at play on Mopsqueezer, it's just that the latter always keeps the former in check. Johnson is the secret weapon of the band, both a good timekeeper and able to fire in some sly flash here and there without stealing the show. Check out his steady, solid punch on the heavy groove of "Morton the Venereologist" or the galloping rhythms on "Ugly Girl Lover" and "Parasite" (not a Kiss cover). As a guitar team, Willoughby and Campbell give out all the chunky feedback one could want without sounding at all like they want to be new Pearl Jam members, even pulling off some great psych guitar squalls on "Asthenia." Certain Willoughby himself sounds far too open and cheerful to stereotype, even when some songs can obliquely address deeper subjects than expected. Certainly most grunge-gloom mongers wouldn't include the varying speed fragment "You Would Be Right" just for kicks. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
