Spiderbait
Spiderbait LP
Reviewed by Brent D.
Tharp
Oh musical gods, why hast ye forsaken me? Once, long ago, in a
place where only vinyl and 8-track tapes existed, a band’s first album was
titled using the band’s name, i.e., eponymously. That’s how we got Bread, Boston,
[The] Chicago [Transit Authority], [Fresh] Cream, Supertramp, Buckingham Nicks . . . well, you get the idea. Chicago and Cream may have gone a
little overboard on the whole put-your-band’s-name-in-the-title-of-every-album
thing, but I’m not knocking it—marketing and branding are as important for
bands as they are for any business.
In recent years, however,
bands suddenly started releasing self-titled albums as their third, fourth,
fifth, or gazillionth album (and in the process sliced a dagger through the
heart of the catchphrase self-titled debut). Since I have no warm
and fuzzy feelings toward corporate music executives, I’m going to chalk this
up to some A&R guys deciding, randomly and after a few martinis, that
“henceforth no debut album shall be named after its band.” And that was the end
of that.
That’s how we get debut
albums with bizarre titles like Teenage Thunderbolt
Anarchy or Best of [insert name of obnoxious band
here] before they release any music, and while still publicly unknown (the
Sex Pistols notwithstanding). Still, none of this explains how a band
could (1) think the name Fun would be catchy and popular, rather than simply
dorky and unimaginative; and (2) be perplexed that no one noticed their
existence for so long. Oh well.
So let us not wonder,
though we might, why Spiderbait named their eighth album Spiderbait.
Maybe record execs ordained it so from on high, or maybe the band were just
tired. Kidding aside, going for a simple album title after a nine-year absence
may indicate a new maturity level for band members, or perhaps a back-to-basics
approach to song making. But since I’m just guessing, it could also be
sunspots.
Spiderbait? Yes,
grasshopper. Spiderbait are one of Australia’s most popular bands, perhaps
following AC/DC, Little River Band, Midnight Oil, Men at Work, and the Angels.
Rick Springfield I’m not so sure about.
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| Spiderbait—Not too serious (left to right: Whitt; Kram; Janet) |
Spiderbait even had a #1
smash in Australia with what sounds like an adrenaline- or amphetamine-fueled
cover of “Black Betty.” The hit was no anomaly—it was part-and-parcel a
representative Spiderbait song by the time the band were done with it. I say
that because I’m not about to go through a summary of Spiderbait’s first seven
albums. All I’ll say is that the songs are mostly stripped down with raw humor
throughout, and lyrics you likely won’t hear anywhere else. I’ve never been a
fan of genres, but to help you out, one of the corporate category factories
refers to Spiderbait’s music as “thrash pop,” whatever the hell that is. In
addition to that completely unhelpful label, this review takes numerous
liberties in comparing Spiderbait to other bands with which the reader may be
familiar—fair warning.
“Straight Through the
Sun” is a hard driving, raging opener with strong tough percussion.
Spiderbait’s recognizable fuzzy pedal effects are immediately apparent, never
quite subsumed by Kram’s tight, pressure-laden vocals and pounding snare. The
song is a great opener, and also the first single released from the album. The
atmosphere of the song is techno because of the fuzziness, including some
filtering of the vocals, but also has the raw sound of garage rock owing to the
intensity of the instrumental part of the song. So you don’t think the song was
recorded in a garage, however, Spiderbait shot the video for this song on a
beach somewhere (methinks Australia, as that’s the obvious supposition).
“It’s Beautiful” (also
released as a single) would seem a jarring change in tone, especially with
English’s lilting vocals, but is not a surprising choice given Spiderbait’s
sometimes eccentric approach to song organization. A song about how our little
planet is attractive in spite of (and because of) its grittiness and
imperfections, the song has some nice transitions, and its emotion and
complexity build throughout. The official video for
this one tells the story quite nicely, and emphasizes that one’s environment is
less important than the company one keeps. The unofficial video has
a similar message, but is shot with a completely different style and different
content. It should be noted that the lyrical content of this one is
extremely metaphorical (intentionally or otherwise), and its message could be
interpreted contrapositively if one were so inclined.
“Miss the Boat,”
continuing the garage rock theme for a bit, has a quick guitar slide
before launching into a driving, staccato (well, as staccato as Spiderbait can
get) guitar intro that transitions back into familiar fuzziness. The lyrics and
harmony on this one are killer, with Kram’s down-and-dirty vocal styling nicely
offset by English’s syrupy sweetness. Some memorable lines include the first: "I take pride in missin’ the boat, I don’t wanna be a sailor," and later, “Take
heed to what I say, don’t go out in the water / Take pride in missin’ the boat,
you gotta climb your mountain with your own rope.” With a running time of 5:13,
not only is this tune the longest on the album, but it’s also unusually long by
Spiderbait standards. It has a one-minute intro, and the final chorus is
buffered by a 1:00+ extended bridge rolling into a guitar solo and a 1:10 outro
that fades out with a blistering improvisational guitar–drum sequence.
“Supersonic” is another
lilting song with English singing lead. It opens with a raw acoustic guitar
lead-in followed by English’s nearly a cappella vocals, which are later backed
by a fairly infectious instrumental base (keys and/or slide guitar, as well as
a relentless muted snare)—all of this serves to accent and echo English’s
haunting vocals. We get a stronger understanding of just how much range
English has on this song, more so than on “It’s Beautiful.” Kram plays
aggressively on this one, but the percussion is muted perfectly so that
it creates a sonic base for English, rather than competing. The fade-out
includes the sound of a jet engine spinning up. The song is pretty dreamy,
but a nice little break before what comes next.
“Where’s the Baseline,”
if for no other reason, appears to be in this exact spot on the album to make
sure we don’t forget that this is, after all, a f——king rock album. It
opens with some spoken word, then uncorks Kram like an evil spirit,
frenetically singing to the whole wide world all at once. This is the kind of song
that never seems to stop, then suddenly drops into a sort of Mott the
Hoople-esque bridge at half speed, using just enough time for a quick drag on a
giant burrito-sized reefer, before rolling back into the primary verse. Perhaps
Kram needed a break midway through—this is the only song in which one can
literally hear him drawing the oxygen he needs in order to belt this puppy
out. The lyrics, though by no means especially original, are consistent with
the head-pounding and ripping nature of this song: "I’ve been driving in my car,
and I can hear there’s something missin’ —— oh where’s the baseline? / You’ve
been low, you’ve been high, you’ve been preying on me all night." Gather your
friends around, do some shots, and turn this mother up until your neighbors
call the cops.
“I’m Not Your Slave” is a
marked departure from most Spiderbait music. It has the vocal styling and tone
of a Jack White song, with a guitar that sounds like it might be channeling the
spirit of a now-retired guitar pedal once owned by Eddie Van Halen or Steve
Vai. It also marks a departure from the initial hard–soft–hard pattern of the
album, a trend that lasted an entire five songs. The lyrics on this one are
pretty extraordinary (look ‘em up).
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|
Spiderbait—Looking serious, but probably laughing inside
|
“Get Bent” is a ditty,
that’s the most apt description I can summon. Kram doesn’t bother covering up
any of his Aussie accent and sings in a lower register, nearly in spoken word.
This song is reminiscent of the best Kinks songs (a more contemporary example would be Australian band the Cat Empire), and no wonder: Kram sounds a
lot like Ray Davies here, and lyrically it sounds exactly like a song that Ray
Davies would write. I might also note that the bass line on this one is pretty
intense—I'm surprised that English wasn't knocked down by the reverb (come to
think of it, I have no way of knowing that she wasn't).
“What You Get,” showcases
English again, but this time in a driving punk song, albeit not as stripped
down as most. Its punk status is helped by English’s wry delivery, but injured
greatly by her ability to sing in tune. Near the end, the band go
into a maniacal frenzy, and fade out that way.
“Freakazoid,” is a heavy,
slogging maniacal beast roaming through the woods and trying to kill everyone in
sight. It’s also instrumental—sadly, most beasts are capable of neither speech
nor song.
“Crazy Pants (Rockstar for a Night)” is a pleasant little slow roller
about crazy pants, sneakers, dancing, and being a rockstar, pretty much in that
order, and recalls the fun-loving Nickelback tune, “Rock Star.”
Just kidding—it sounds nothing like the Nickelback song. Also, the
song is mostly about kicking the ass of the poser in your life (feel free to
find one in your own life, and play this song for same while you have the locks
changed on your habitat).
“Mars” has lots of
whispering in it.
“Reach for the Sky,” in
some sort of twisted trick, is a gem that the band hid near the end
of the album, perhaps as recompense for the preceding song consisting almost
entirely of whispering. As I was listening to it, I had to stop writing and go
to the outside bar, slamming my head against it until marble whorls were etched
in relief on my forehead. This song could easily have come from an Ozzy
Osbourne or Dio album. But it didn’t.
“The Sun Will Come
Shining” is a Go-Go’s–sounding tune with the same happy message, except with
stronger musicianship all the way around. Hey, I love the Go-Go’s as much as
the next guy, but really, Kram can play him some mean drum, that’s all I’m
saying.
“Goodbye” ties this opus
together rather well.
All in all, despite some
early cynicism, I must admit that the song choices for the album were excellent, and what appeared at first to be a quirky track order was actually
quite cohesive. More than that, this album is
impossible to define, showcasing an incredible amount of musical talent that
crosses several genres fluidly and, for the most part, flawlessly.
Spiderbait LP track list
1.
Straight Through The Sun 3:56
2.
It’s Beautiful 3:40
3.
Miss The Boat 5:13
4.
Supersonic 4:33
5.
Where’s The Baseline 3:17
6. I’m
Not Your Slave 3:13
7. Get
Bent 3:01
8.
What You Get 3:33
9.
Freakazoid 1:38
10. Crazy Pants (Rockstar
For A Night) 3:40
11. Mars 4:22
12. Reach For The Sky
4:31
13. The Sun Will Come
Shining 2:37
14. Goodbye 2:35
Total track time 49:49
Note: track times shown
are from digital media, and may vary from those of other sources.
Players: Janet English—vocals, bass; Mark Maher—vocals, drums;
Damian Whitty—guitars.
Label: Universal Music Australia Pty Ltd. (Mercury label for
physical CD and vinyl).
Production: All tracks except “It’s Beautiful,” “Where’s the
Baseline,” and “Crazy Pants” composed by Janet English, Mark Maher, and Damian
Whitty. “It’s Beautiful” and “Crazy Pants” composed by Janet English, Mark
Maher, Francois Tetaz, and Damian Whitty. “Where’s the Baseline” composed by
Janet English, Dann Hume, Mark Maher, and Damian Whitty. Mastered by Joe
LaPorta.
Management: Fiona Duncan.
Other: Released November 2013. Additional band information
available at spiderbait.com.au.
The published review can also be found at
Reviewer Magazine online.
This review may be freely distributed, provided that it is properly attributed and back-linked to this page.
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