Frozen Letter
Merge
2014
Rating: 7.5 stages of healing out of 10
There is much to like on this new album by the Spider Bags called "Frozen Letter" - but like in the past, the recorded material just doesn't do their live performances justice. On wax they come across as a very likeable but somewhat straight-forward garage rock band; not a damn thing wrong with that, and in fact I'm certain I'll listen to this record quite a lot just like I did with their previous effort "Shake My Head." The songs offer plenty of hooks paired with fuzz and distortion and even the occasional cowbell - immediate highlights include "Japanese Vacation" and "Summer of '79." There are also jams that fall out of the garage rock mold, "Coffin Car" and "Walking Bubble" specifically, that approach something akin to Giant Sand's take on fractured country.
But live, man...live they're a different beast, a squirming mass of caged animals in the form of a rock band, sweaty and ferocious and usually a little drunk and it's just a scene that is hard to adequately put into words no matter how many times I have the pleasure of seeing them. So listen to this record for sure - it may end up one of my favorites of the year. More importantly, if they ever play anywhere near you, drug your own father* and steal his car if that's what it takes to get to the gig.
*Don't be an asshole and actually drug your father or anyone else for that matter. Just steal his keys when he isn't looking.
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