Spinanes
Strand
»
Spinanes
Strand
Sub Pop, 1996
RiYL: Bettie Seveert’s Palomine, Velocity Girl, Mecca Normal |
And why not -- it makes perfect sense. You've never listened to college radio, and you've never been to Portland. And that's what you think a song about Portland would be about because you've never heard the Spinanes.
But once you've heard the Spinanes, you'll know what Portland sounds like. The imagery is very loose and spontaneous while at the same time less frail and more full. They've been called "coffee-house punk for the 90s" and "nice-core." Both tags fit well because the Spinanes' music is punk energy encrypted in a smile and happy, jangling guitars.
The band's second full-length album, Strand follows-up the critically-acclaimed debut album Manos, which topped the college charts in 1994. In fact, it became the first Sub Pop record in the history of the label (including the likes of Nirvana and Mudhoney) to reach those charts' No. 1 ranking.
That's quite a feat for an outfit that includes only guitarist/songwriter Rebecca Gates and drummer Scott Plouf. That's right -- no bass player and, obviously, no funky bass groove. This duo fills all the gaps with just one guitar and one drum-kit, coming across as a less-minimal Mecca Normal and a simpler Velocity Girl.
Gates' angelic vocals and rotating melodic and rhythmic guitar work harmonize perfectly, giving the Spinanes a simplified, dream-rock quality. While Gates is captivating in her harmony, Plouf's crisp and distinct drumming is rhythmic clockwork. Together, their chemistry is ultra tight.
On "Lines And Lines," perhaps the best song on the disc, Plouf keeps a perfect tic-tac beat that somehow simultaneously acts as the song's frame and stands up front. Gates weaves little guitar barbs through her breathy vocals as she sings, "All the lips that kiss me are no match for your fever-touch." It's a song that would fit perfectly on a Bettie Serveert's classic album Palomine.
Another stand-out track is closer "For No One Else," on which Elliott Smith makes a guest appearance on backup vocals. Undeniably Pacific Northwest while distinctly Portland, the Spinanes are one of those bands that makes you wish you knew Portland better than you already do and makes you wish you could sing as well as you can hum.
CHRIS SWANSON |