Named and Shamed in Bloomington, MN

A decade after they first fell from the sky, the U.K. quintet
the Flaming Stars
continue to shine and stun on their seventh studio disc,
Named and Shamed
. Sounding like
Lloyd Cole
fronting
the Bad Seeds
, writer/vocalist
Max Decharne
steers the versatile group through a set that is at times loud and riotous (
"Where the Beautiful People Go"
), soft and brooding (
"She's Gone"
), or ueber-cool and jazzy (the piano and finger snaps of
"The Marabou Shuffle"
). Rarely disappointing, the title cut embraces
flamenco
while
"Spilled Your Paint"
barks and bites like vintage
Mark E. Smith
. Tack on the fact that this disc was completed in just over eight days, and
can't help but qualify as brilliant. ~ John D. Luerssen