Embedded Files
SPIDERS “Sharp Objects”
SPIDERS “Sharp Objects”
By Iron Sheik
SPIDERS capture the late 70s/early 80s vibe while retaining their own sound on “Sharp Objects”. Aiming for what seems to be a new wave/punk sound of that era SPIDERS seem to capture the heart of the music of X, THE RAMONES, ROLLING STONES(?), and definitely BLONDIE and Deborah Harry's attitude. A retro styled modernity at its best is on display with release number four from these rock 'n' rollers.
Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden SPIDERS are Ann-Sofie Hoyles, John Hoyles, Olle Griphammer, Oskar Brindmark, and Rickard Hellgren. Shattered dreams coupled with lofty visions are on display here as much as by any band who draws their lyrics from a vast well of the human experience. A raw and fierce band of rock and rollers they have crafted a stunner on “Sharp Objects”. While many themes are explored or pondered here, we get a mixed bag covering boundaries to emotional torment and heartbreak.
“Rock 'n' Roll Band” sounds as fresh as it is retro. Boundaries are the subject here. "Get your own Rock 'n' Roll band...I keep on telling you, but you still don't get it." Next is “Sweet Boy” which has an X sound to it. "Looking for someone to fight." It could be any song from “Under The Big Black Sun”. “What's Your Game (Miss Insane)” brings us into THE RAMONES’ orbit via a touch of THE BEATLES. "I need you so much I don't know what to do." For some reason I hear them channeling Josie Cotton here “(Johnny Are You Queer?) Fun In The Sun”... "I feel lost, and I need a drink" and some B-52s vibes to chase.
“Schizoid” is next and not of the KING CRIMSON ilk. What it is ,though, is a ROLLING STONES “Brown Sugar” tinged rocker. "In your mind I've been hiding...creeping...weeping..." “Mess With My Emotions” brings some Deborah Harry attitude. "Leaving me to suffer." “Too Hard For You” is on tap next and "I feel like it's coming, and it's coming for you..." “Valentines” is a bit syrupy and too repetitious to be a good ballad. Although it does have a BLONDIE “Parallel Lines” feel to it. “Life Mission” almost feels like a souped up version of the previous track. Harmonica is used sparingly. "Life mission that's what I'm on." Well, duh!? Aren't we all!? An assertion of themselves as "needing no one to take them to the setting sun." Wherever that is, maybe to death. “Love Yourself To Death” "Sometimes that feeling gets under my thumb" and seems to be filler from under. “Would You Miss Me” charges along with a familiar sound I will leave to the listener to discover.
At the end of the album I found I thoroughly enjoyed the music the SPIDERS have spun on “Sharp Objects”. When I got this album to review I was not sure what I was going to hear. I hear an amalgamation of bands from the late 70s/early 80s captured here. It is a great album of the style of music they create: new wave, 80s pop punk, and thirty-four minutes of fun. My take? It is a fun album, and it is also a trip through the past; a stroll down memory lane. For as many of the bands I listed as references there are surely more. This is a great modern sounding album that captures the past within its web of rock 'n' roll.
Report abuse