Flashes of Computation - ​Rip It

​Flashes of Computation

​Rip It
self-released; 2016

3.2 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Flashes of Computation are two brothers from Hesperia, California who recently released Rip It. There are five songs that consist of drums, guitars and vocals, which average less than two minutes in length. The EP was made quickly and feels like the songs were made mostly for their own pleasure. They never really expand on any of the ideas they present and almost feel like trailers for longer songs. 

Up first is “I've Got the Blues.” The duo rocks a standard blues riff that you have most likely heard a thousand times before. There is a White Stripes vibe happening here but unfortunately it doesn't feel like much more than a tip of the hat to hard blues-rock. The lyrics reinforce the mood of the song. The vocalist sings, “And we've got the blues / and I don't give a shit about you / I'm goin' down a trail that leads straight to Hell / I've got the blues.” 

“Just a Punk” is indeed a punk rock song revolving around a couple of distorted power chords and a basic beat. The song barely gets past a minute as the vocalist sings the lyric, “I’m just a punk.” The next song “The Hot Springs” has more of an alternative vibe. It’s a decently written song but the duo gets noticeably off-time. The lyrics are silly and simple fun. They aren't the most thought provoking lyrics in the world as he sings about going to the hot springs.

I hesitate to call “Rip It” an actual song at thirty-two seconds in length. It feels more like a transition to “Boogie Board” which is a surf/punk song. 

​At the end of the day Rip It feels like it was made to be a fun EP for the band to have and not much more than that at this point. If the duo is serious about attracting a large fan base there will need to be some improvements in a couple of areas. That being said Rip It may be perfectly suitable for a couple of guys who want to get their kicks out of recording fun, short punk songs.

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