1. Later On
2. Vivian Don't
3. Summer Grof
4. Carnival
5. Needlepoint
6. Cat's Pajamas
7. They All Laughed
8. Pumpkins And Paisley
9. Ain't This The Truth
10. Alphabetical Order
11. Black Flag
When The Spinto Band first aligned themselves with the gaze of the music community at-large with the release and promotion of 2005's Nice And Nicely Done they were, for at least a day, genuinely exciting.
Now, the Delaware sextet are back with Moonwink, their ninth, yes, ninth studio album. The opener, Later On is typical of The Spinto Band, super-tight, highly adept musicianship that sounds too stuck up its own camp arse to bother with any hooks or songwriting method. Nick Krill's whimsical, playful, listen-at-how-whacky-I-am vocal delivery still at large, and still out of tune.
Not the best start then, but previous single Summer Grof evidences that The Spinto Band still have what it takes to write shimmering, care-free indie-pop that naturally dispenses optimism as a bi-product of their throw-it-all-in-and-see-what-comes-out songwriting method.
The Carnival is at first irritating in its twee ramblings, but its leftfield creativity and brass-punctuated hooks revise such assumptions. Krill's voice too seems far more suited to this song, his rollercoaster vocal melodies weaving their wayward lines through an upbeat tapestry that XTC would be pleased to have called their own.
Needlepoint sounds like The Cardiacs having successfully negotiated alighting the 100mph carousel they've been riding their whole career, while the annoyingly titled (and incorrectly punctuated) The Cat's Pajama's fails to really do anything, which embodies the general theme for the whole album.
The Delaware sextet's foray into synth-town (They All Laughed) is best left alone, sounding like The Coral struggling to write a Eurovision song contest anthem. Ain't This The Truth, however, has a brilliant verse, replete with dizzy drum patterns, playful guitars and a nice vocal melody set against falsetto backing. It's on its knees, begging in desperation for a romping chorus, but The Spinto Band fail to deliver.
Think Mystery Jets' playful (if immature) cousins, who enjoy the same 80s record collection, spliced with the campest elements of XTC. Moonwink has some nice moments, but it's one dimensional, lacking anything that really grabs you by the balls.
The Spinto Band are genuinely highly impressive musicians, they're still as creative as ever, cramming riffs and off-kilter rhythms into their songs like clothes into a brimful suitcase, but creativity isn't always synonymous with good music.
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