Review: The Spinto Band | Cool Cocoon

Delaware-spawned indie pop journeymen The Spinto Band are on a roll: in only the past nine months the band has rejuvenated a two-decade career with the slick pop of the full-length Shy Pursuit (preview here), revitalized their own record label and toured extensively. And now the quintet is already back with a new long-player, Cool Cocoon. Picking up right where Shy Pursuit left off, the new collection contains yet more of the band's sparkling brand of well-crafted, classic pop. Cool Cocoon commences with "Shake It Off" (previously reviewed here), a tune that echoes rock-and-roll touchstones without diluting Spinto Band's characteristic cool and charm. That's no small feat, as the hooks here and elsewhere on Cool Cocoon are so universal and saccharine one might think their apparent familiarity would stunt their appeal. But that's just not the case. In fact, thanks to singer Nick Krill's quavering falsetto, the warmly compressed production, and crafty arrangements the act succeeds over and over in delivering unto fans singular pop statements. The Spinto Band's reach never exceeds its grasp.

Known for its bright sound and tumbling tempo changes, Spinto Band sounds best at its most upbeat. "Breath Goes In," "Enemy," and the funkier "Memo" all feature a kineticism that drives the brand's brilliant melodies. Imaginative guitar sounds crash in and out, the drums snap along with only the bounciest of beats, and supporting voices push each hook to maximum lushness. "Na Na Na" not only shows off the retro-bubblegum accouterments with which the group are well-versed, but also features one of many creative guitar solos that populate the album. It's as if the band holds back its meanest, grittiest player until he is about to piss himself, and only then unleashes him for a frenetic, quick flash of a solo, twice as loud as everything else, and gone as soon as it starts. Why don't more bands do that? Perhaps the highlight of the record is "Amy + Jen." Sounding like a strummy cut off The Tyde’s Thrice album, Mr. Krill and company dash off vibrato guitar splashes, choppy acoustics and bursts of buzz-guitar to cook up a classic summery jam. Drummer Jeffrey Hobson's emphasis on the beginning of each imploring chorus punches up the tune and adds to its timeless air.

Cool Cocoon touts an even share of slower numbers that aim for the heart via an expanding vocabulary of studio effects. "What I Love" offers a rising music hall melody and a piano line that recalls the fluttering tenderness of The Rolling Stones’ stone-cold classic "She’s A Rainbow;" the tune includes yet another brilliant guitar flash-solo. The folksy and spare "Look Away" exposes another dimension of the band yet heard. Like many groups trading in indie pop, The Spinto Band can't take credit for inventing the wheel. But the band’s precision and sincere love of rock’s long flirtation with classic pop is more than enough to make Cool Cocoon a keeper. Another album or two of this level of songwriting and the band should start expecting comparisons to Harry Nilsson, Ray Davies, Paul McCartney and their venerated like. Cool Cocoon is released on The Spinto Band's own Spintonic Recordings Tuesday; stream "Shake It Off" via the embed below. -- Edward Charlton

The Spinto Band: Internets | Facebook | YouTube

Today's Hotness: The Hush Now, The Spinto Band

>> Well, the Christmas tree went up at Clicky Clicky HQ this afternoon, so we're ready now to turn our attention to the music of the season. A reliable pleasure for the last few years has been a holiday offering from Boston dream pop giants The Hush Now, and we were pleased to receive recently the slow, serene rumination "I'm Always Broke In December." It's the first Hush Now Christmas jam to feature a lead vocal from drummer and polymath Barry Marino. The title communicates the sentiment aptly, but it is the band's patient, nuanced delivery that sells "I'm Always Broke" and distinguishes these guys -- again -- as consummate pros. From founder and guitarist Noel Kelly's barely there vocal harmonies and gentle horn solo, to lead guitarist Adam Quane's spectral, mildly dissonant sonics shading the chorus, to keyboardist Jon Rosen's brilliantly subtle layers of organ that commence at about 2:30 in the tune and ride it out, The Hush Now's latest holiday offering is a perfect case study of the band's formidable songcraft and pop chops. The band is midway into the recording of a planned fourth full-length, which we reckon you will see in 2013 barring unforeseen circumstances; "I'm Always Broke In December" makes us that much more eager to here what the band has up its 10 sleeves. Dig the tune via the Bandcamp embed below, and click through to download the thing to have for your very own -- for free, the guys know you're tapped out. The Hush Now's last long-player Memos was one of our favorite records of 2011.



>> Just nine months in the wake of this year's well-conceived Shy Pursuit, Delaware institution The Spinto Band make a breathless return with yet another album of high-quality, upbeat indie pop. Titled Cool Cocoon, this new set is out digitally (presumably also physically) Feb. 5th on the band's own Spintonic Recordings. The band's efficient release schedule and tight, catchy songwriting both stand as evidence the quintet continues its present stretch of focused, independent work. "Shake It Off" is a solid choice for the first single from Cool Cocoon, with its instantly memorable vocal melody and stark, yet full piano and drum production. For a band that once made use of a dizzying number of different electric guitar lines, Spinto Band's recent efforts are notable for utilizing the instrument less. Instead, we get satisfyingly over-driven organ stabs (in the chorus) and deceptively funky snare cadences along with the group’s characteristic, classy vocal harmonies and subtle key changes. The slick production and classic-pop touches echoes certain work by Philadelphia's Dr. Dog or tunes from The Apples In Stereo's New Magnetic Wonder. This writer especially enjoys the twisted opening effects and the very short, unresolved verse melody. The Spinto Band are certainly on a hot streak, with productions that sound even more realized than when other labels were footing the bill. Consider them statesmen of the latest, computer-assisted DIY renaissance. If you're lucky enough, catch them at one of their upcoming French shows listed here. Stream or download (in exchange for your email address, a worth-while trade) "Shake It Off" via the embedded widget dealie below. -- Edward Charlton

Be Prepared: The Spinto Band | Shy Pursuit | 1 May

There's a great moment in David Byrne's 1986 film "True Stories" in which a group of elementary school-age children suddenly march in, engulf the viewer in their own weird little sing-along, and then tumble away. The scene is memorable because there is no real antecedent for the genesis of the chant; it's in the spirit of the moment, and everyone rallies behind it. Which is an appropriate frame of reference for The Spinto Band, whose new full-length Shy Pursuit is out May 1 via the band's own Spintonic imprint. The Spinto Band is currently previewing the collection with two tracks.

Like the aforementioned "True Stories" characters, The Spinto Band completely devote themselves to the bigger picture of the song. Instead of showboating and individualism, the members populate its sound with clever arrangements and the subtle hook. "Take It" presents as a sparse groove but blossoms into a characteristically sneaky chorus. Said chorus is revelatory when it comes up from behind you, grabs you by the arms and starts swinging you around and around and around, briefly the first time, but seemingly into a spiraling forever -- past a tidy guitar solo and brief bridge -- the second time. It's magnificent. The tune at times recalls previous Spinto Band highlights such as "Crack The Whip" in the smart funk bass that lends a shade of dance floor revelry to their bright guitar-pop. Another new track, "The Living Things," is a pleasing, acoustic romp pairing almost flamenco atmospherics with a waltz time signature. Download the track from the band's web site right here, and be ready for the album to march in and delight in its efficient menagerie.

The Wilmington, Delaware-based septet first came to our attention with its terrific 2005 debut long-player Nice And Nicely Done. It quite neatly painted The Spinto Band as a rolling gang of pop devotees with the smarts to keep things simple, yet unexpected and engaging with singular chord placements, three guitars and memorable melodies. The considerable success of singles like the undeniable "Oh Mandy" (really, it should have been even more huge than it was) and a second album ensured the band was in it for the long haul. Shy Pursuit is the group's third full-length and, based on what we've heard, it would seem to refine their formula further with still slicker production and crystalline melodies. -- Edward Charlton