this flag signals goodbye review

review taken from cmj

Mike Conklin

Swearing At Motorists' Dave Doughman is fast becoming one of the more interesting characters in the tragically overacted play that is the indie-rock world. He's earned the reputation as a kind of mysterious hippie philosopher with a seeming penchant for drug and drink, and has a comical tendency to toy with journalists - he recently convinced a writer he had been detained in Philadelphia because of an involvement in a federal racketeering case. His band is deserving of the added attention, too, because This Flag Signals Goodbye is an outstanding record. Accompanied by little more than his own acoustic and electric guitars and Joseph Siwinski's (ex-Trouble With Sweeney) drumming. Doughman has written 14 songs that alternate between quiet, almost haunting passages and periods of loud, boisterous rock that actually aren't too far removed from those of the White Stripes. Lyrically, the Ohio-born former Guided By Voices soundman focuses most of his attention on an ex-girlfriend. Coming clean with lines like "Didn't realize that I was so affected/And now I don't know what to do/And I am hoping that you're feeling the same way/Because all I want for Christmas is you," it's clear that, despite the air of mystery surrounding him, Doughman is just like the rest of us - only he writes better songs than most.

File Under: Stripped-down rock for the brokenhearted
Recommended If You Like: The White Stripes, Hayden, Sebadoh

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