Photo: David Horvitz
Over the years, it’s difficult to say where I stand on the many different projects of Spencer Krug. Though, If there’s one thing we can all pretty much agree upon, is that he’s without a doubt one of the hardest working people currently working in music right now. Whether it’s juggling the many different musical projects he involves himself with (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake), or that he seems to be constantly on tour 24/7 — it’s all very admirable, regardless.
Unlike a majority of people I know, who absolutely worship the ground that Spencer walks on, I’ve been a bit lukewarm (until recently) in response to many of his upcoming projects, including the third full-length titled Dragonslayer from Sunset Rubdown that is due out next week on Jagjaguwar.
Now, I loved Shut Up I Am Dreaming when first heard it in 2006. It was, for lack of a better term, epic. Many of the tracks felt like they were building to something; to the point where I actually felt rewarded as a listener. It’s something that I felt was completely missing and devoid of with the band’s follow-up, Random Spirit Lover. It wasn’t until very recently that I gave it another shot due to the chagrin of a friend of mine. Apparently, I wasn’t listening to it correctly, but I still don’t think it’s as great as people make it out to be.
The sole reason I decided to give that album another shot, has been due to how much I’ve been enjoying Dragonslayer the past month or so. Accessibility is very important to a record’s success in my opinion, and this has been to be Sunset Rubdown’s most accessible release to date. Krug has gone on to say how it’s been their most honest record, and it definitely shows; as this direct approach of playing live in studio is just as fulfilling and exploding with creativity as opposed to the use of studio tricks and tools with Random Spirit Lover.
If you needed any more convincing, you wouldn’t need to look much further than listening to the very first three tracks of this album (you can stream it over on NPR). Despite the bitterness and overall roughness that seems to permeate these tunes, at the very core lies some pretty solid pop hooks and sensibility. And those female backing vocals? Come on now! Hearing such a small, added detail like that is almost like a revelation to me. It brings some much needed depth to the table and sort of acts as a balance to Krug’s vocals, which can tend to get out of control quite easily.
Suffice to say, I’m back on the the bandwagon, wherever it may lead.
MP3: Sunset Rubdown :: “Idiot Heart”
Tags:
Jagjaguwar,
Spencer Krug,
Sunset Rubdown
Through sheer laziness, I’ve flirted around with the idea of compiling The Daily Graboid every two-three weeks as opposed to the regular way of doing it once per week. I’m not sure which format I prefer, so I’ll just leave it up to you guys. To be honest, I’m leaning towards just sticking with the original format. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — right?
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