Track of the Day: Ducktails - "The Flower Lane"

Just as associate act Real Estate has done before him, Ducktails' Matt Mondanile is growing out of his Underwater Peoples roots and taking his act to Domino. Set to release his third solo record in as many years, Ducktails appear to have come into their own on the newly announced The Flower Lane, borrowing more from the folk-rock revival of the last few years as opposed to the buzz-worthy home recorded material of past releases. This is assuming, of course, that the album's titular track would set the tone for the rest of the album, but as Mondanile has been impressively consistent in the past there's no indication this record should deviate from that pattern.

"The Flower Lane" embraces the opportunity of moving Ducktails away from Mondanile as a strictly solo project and welcomes the recording and performance of the album as a band. "The Flower Lane" is vibrant, glistening and fits perfectly in line with the growing catalogue of music from Real Estate, Alex Bleeker and other associated artists. While the opening synthesizer notes are immediately reminiscent of early psychedelic and funk, the rest of "The Flower Lane" bears little resemblance to anything else that ambitious. Which isn't meant to be disparaging, as Mondanile's brand of mellow, meandering guitar music is what makes him so appealing in the first place. The Flower Lane will be released January 29th, 2013 with a single for "Letter of Intent" preceding it, both on Domino.



The Flower Lane tracklist:
1. “Ivy Covered House”
2. “The Flower Lane”
3. “Under Cover”
4. “Timothy Shy”
5. “Planet Phrom”
6. “Assistant Director”
7. “Sedan Magic”
8. “International Date Line”
9. “Letter Of Intent”
10. “Academy Avenue”