Ah, this is just the tonic I was looking for. After a barrage of noise from other CD’s, my summer had a certain dark tinge to it and I was crying out for that stereotypical upbeat album to hold it’s own during our sweat infested months. Unfortunately Simple Plan fucking blow and Will Smiths ‘Summertime’ is wearing thin, so the Midwest’s Spitalfield will have to do. And I can’t stress how well they do the job. Well almost.
Spitalfield won’t win any awards for originality as they sound like most other bands in the crowded emo-pop-punk scene today. Fusing together songs about your normal post traumatic breakup disorder, the lyrics are fairly basic, but the music is the shining light with some beautifully crafted production going alongside the many power chords and crisp vocals we are on the receiving end to. But what the band lack in originality (Can’t get enough of those shag haircuts and thrift t-shirts!) they make up for in a brightly bouncy emo-venture.
‘Those Days you Felt Alive’ and ‘Kill the Drama’ open the album and set the tone for what is to become an above par dance into the realms of pop-emo. Both feature silky power chords which feature heavily throughout both songs, the latter particularly standing out in terms of musical insightfulness with a strumming bass line holding it together, and clever harmonies thrown in as well. ‘Five days and counting’ has a forlorn feeling to it, which is a refreshing change compared to most of the more upbeat yet melancholy efforts on the album. ‘I loved the way she said “LA”‘ is a highlight, featuring some stirring sounds and an infectious chorus which will stick around in your head for a good while after you have heard it. ‘Stolen from some great writer’ and ‘In the same life time’ reveal a somber side, but both feel more filler than stunner. The irony of the line ‘We are so sick of recycled old ideas’ seems somewhat lost on the band for more than obvious reasons as well…
‘Am I ready’ is a return to the chirpiness we have come to love, with more of the same pop tinged melodies mixing well with more cleverly inserted guitar lines. ‘Fairweather friend’ is a change from the norm and thunders out the blocks but normal is service is resumed and is another standout effort with silky vocals complementing yet more sickly sweet guitars. The album ends on a slight downer with ‘You can’t stop’ and ‘Make my heart attack‘ proving a slight letdown but never the less just about hold there own.
Spitalfield have done nothing amazing or awe inspiring on this record, yet you keep coming back to it for more listens. It is the perfect anecdote for all the SoCo Saves the Day and TBS fans out there looking for some thing a little different and certainly holds its own. It may not be Victory Records biggest release of the year but try not to let it slip by you completely.
Jay