Spinanes
Archers And Aisles
»
Spinanes
Archers And Aisles
Sub Pop, 1998
RiYL: Liz Phair's Exile In Guyville, The Sea & Cake's The Fawn, The Pretenders |
Perhaps in an attempt to compensate for the stripped-down sound of its debut, the band augmented its 1996 follow-up Strand with a host of additional instrumentation, temporarily forgetting that the songs matter most. Shortly thereafter, Plouf parted amicably to assume the drum stool in Boise's Built To Spill, leaving Gates as the Spinanes' lone member. Two years and a move to Chicago later, Gates released Archers And Aisles, an album that finds a happy medium between the crunch of Manos and the complexities of Strand.
Opener "Kid In Candy" finds Gates taking stock of her present situation: "feeling good, feeling fine everyday / that's because you're 3000 miles away." "Kid In Candy" also introduces the first of many guests Gates drafted to help flesh out the album. Here, it's Tortoise percussionist John McEntire laying down his trademark keyboard and percussion licks to provide a warm, alluring feel.
Gates' lyrics, at times bitter but always honest, drive the late-night seduction tune "Greetings From The Sugar Lick" and "Leisure Run," which finds the singer taking the subject to task for any number of misgivings. "Slide Your Ass" recalls the intimate songcraft of Lisa Germano in lines such as "I'm waiting for your call / I don't wait for anyone at all."
The artist's guitar work has also developed tremendously from the days of Manos, evidenced by the wicked riff on "72-74" and the skipping, detuned pleasure of "Love, The Lazee," one of the album's best tracks. On the hand-clapping "Sucker's Trial," Gates' reverb-soaked guitar floats around hyperactive bass and drums.
Varied assistance from Chicago scenesters and guests fill in the empty spaces of Gates' songs much better than the extra instrumentation on Strand. Perky organs and a stop-start rhythm work perfectly in "72-74" and the brief instrumental sections in "Leisure Run" add depth and character. McEntire and Sam Prekop, his bandmate in the Sea & Cake, make their presence felt on the rich "Reach v. Speed," a track that could almost pass for a Sea & Cake outtake with its plush electronics and Prekop's breathy vocals.
Gates has always possessed the ability to convey meaning via sparse instrumentation, but on Archers And Aisles she wields the tools to paint on a more evocative canvas.
JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"