Spool
Spool
(Testcard Records)
When I first started buying music
regularly, CDs were still a relatively new thing (I know, I’m old). Back in the mid-80s, there wasn’t much
selection available on CD and they were like $18-$20 each. Most titles were brought in on German or
Japanese import, which were often closer to $30 apiece, but they seemed exotic
and exciting, especially the Japanese imports with the artful Japanese script
wrapped around the package and frequently a bunch of bonus tracks not available
anywhere else. Compact Discs were
daunting then because of the price, especially since one could buy new a new
vinyl album for about $6-$8. Of course,
it’s the exact opposite now. Vinyl costs
a fortune and feels like the exotic option.
The Japanese releases were always from US or European artists. The idea of a Japanese indie rock band was
not a concept in my world back then. Unfortunately,
things haven’t changed a lot. A few
Japanese artists have found small audiences over the past 20 years, but for the
most part their music has been ignored by western audiences. I don’t know if this will change any time
soon, but I’ve sure had my eyes and ears opened over the past year or so. It turns out that Japan has a thriving indie
rock scene with a bunch of great bands that are right up my alley!
Spool, a four
piece from Tokyo, may be the best I’ve encountered yet! Their brand of early 90s sounding shoegaze,
psychedelia, and indie pop is incredibly powerful and addictive. I swear, if their unbelievably catchy song “sway,
fadeaway” had been released on Creation
Records back in say early 1991 between singles like Teenage Fanclub’s “Star Sign,” Swervedriver’s
“Rave-Down,” and Slowdive’s “Catch
the Breeze,” it would’ve been right at home and I would’ve hungrily snatched up
a copy and listened to it over and over.
In fact, after seeing the music video for their album’s first single, “Be
My Valentine,” at the end of 2018, I immediately pre-ordered the album. The opening track “nightescape,” reminds me a
bit of The Heartthrobs, or The Nightblooms with its trippy
intensity, while “Let Me Down” builds to an emotional crescendo (and the title
sung in English!). “Shotgun” is a
mid-tempo song with a clever repeated organ refrain, and a sing-a-long chorus,
even though I have no idea what Ayumi
is saying, Another highlight, “springpool,”
later in the album, has a smooth forward propulsion (love that bassline!) that
reminds me a bit of Spotlight Kid. The closing “No, thank you,” manages to be a
polite send-off that still manages to blow the doors off the hinges.
Overall, this debut is very strong,
already one of the best albums of 2019 so far.
Spool employ a nice variety and the album always feels fresh and
engaging. They, along with the moody Collapse (whose Delirium Poetry EP last year was one of my favorites), could be my
new gateway into the far away world of incredible music. I’m excited to see where this takes me. Won’t you join me?
Spool "Be My Valentine"
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