The Flag brings the ‘Vest of Wealth’ to Geographic North

A glimpse into a low-fi world steeped in noirish visuals and a murky and self-aware proto-industrial traipse.

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  • Richard Gin
  • The Flag AKA Ted McGrath



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Beware the vest of wealth! For those who are unfamiliar the Flag, aka former These Are Powers drummer and Brooklynite Ted McGrath, released his first full-length via Geographic North this week. The album is titled Heat Waves, and the video for “To Wear the Vest of Wealth” offers a glimpse into a low-fi world steeped in the noirish aesthetics of Anton Corbijn’s greatest hits, and New York duo Suicide’s murky and self-aware proto-industrial traipse.

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You’ll be tempted to equate the Flag’s sound to some sort of no wave offspring. But really, the twitchy and agitated pop pace of the album has more in common with post-punk and quality new wave, as Heat Waves is less about impulse and reaction as it is about sustaining a dark and provocative mood.

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Tiny Mixtapes has the album stream, but if you want to do these grooves justice, pick up a copy of that green swirly LP and let the needle ride.

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And don’t say “vinyls.”

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