You’d think there’s a limit of how much music you can make in a year before the quality just drops. Spencer Krug has proven that something like that isn’t neccesarily true, releasing several albums a year with different bands and touring with them too. Is it fair to call this the slightly more obscure little brother of Wolf Parade?
What started as Krug’s solo project has now undoubtedly taken form as a solid band. He released the debut album Snake’s Got a Leg in 2005 before expanding the concept to include a full four-member band and releasing Shut Up I Am Dreaming in 2006. This is now the bands fourth full-length album and it doesn’t seem like they’re running out of gunpowder, rather the opposite. They seem to have grown quite a bit and their sound is more refined and perhaps “bigger”, though that is something I’m not really sure what to make of. While Shut Up I Am Dreaming was quite dark and gloomy, without changing the formula dramatically, their previous album, Random Spirit Lover, was a step out of the darkness. They’re not all happy and dancing around, but they’re more playful and they’ve got a kind of flow going, even if the lyrics are still gloomy. Dragonslayer looks back on these albums and gives you the best of both. Krug continues to explore, but in a way that builds upon his previous releases. Very likeable. I’m looking forward to his next new thing already.
Sunset Rubdown – Idiot Heart