{"id":10247,"date":"2014-06-30T10:10:31","date_gmt":"2014-06-30T17:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/?p=10247"},"modified":"2023-06-01T18:08:34","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T01:08:34","slug":"a-better-mousetrap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2014\/06\/30\/a-better-mousetrap\/","title":{"rendered":"A Better Mousetrap"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spiderbait<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spiderbait <\/em><\/strong>LP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reviewed by Brent D. Tharp<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"SpiderbaitOh musical gods, why hast ye forsaken me? Once, long ago, in a place where only vinyl and 8-track tapes existed, a band\u2019s first album was titled using the band\u2019s name, i.e., eponymously. That\u2019s how we got Bread, Boston, [The] Chicago [Transit Authority], [Fresh] Cream, Supertramp, Buckingham Nicks<\/em> . . . well, you get the idea. Chicago and Cream may have gone a little overboard on the whole put-your-band\u2019s-name-in-the-title-of-every-album thing, but I\u2019m not knocking it\u2014marketing and branding are as important for bands as they are for any other business.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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<\/em>). Since I have no warm and fuzzy feelings toward corporate music executives, I\u2019m going to chalk this up to some A&R guys deciding, randomly and after a few martinis, that \u201chenceforth no debut album shall be named after its band.\u201d And that was the end of that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That\u2019s how we get debut albums with bizarre\u00a0titles like Teenage<\/em> Thunderbolt Anarchy<\/em> or Best of<\/em> [insert name of obnoxious band here<\/em>] before they release any music, and while still publicly unknown (the Sex Pistols notwithstanding). Still, none of this\u00a0explains 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.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So let us not wonder, though we might, why Spiderbait named\u00a0their eighth album Spiderbait<\/em>. 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\u2019m just guessing, it could also be sunspots.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Spiderbait? Yes, grasshopper. Spiderbait are one of Australia\u2019s most popular bands, perhaps following AC\/DC, Little River Band, Midnight Oil, Men at Work, and the Angels. Rick Springfield I\u2019m not so sure about.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Press_Photo_9\"
Spiderbait\u2014Not too serious (left to right: Whitt; Kram; Janet)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Spiderbait even had a #1 smash in Australia with what sounds like an adrenaline- or amphetamine-fueled cover of \u201cBlack Betty.\u201d The hit was no anomaly\u2014it was part-and-parcel a representative Spiderbait song by the time the band were done with it. I say that because I\u2019m not about to go through a summary of Spiderbait\u2019s first seven albums. All I\u2019ll say is that the songs are mostly stripped down with raw humor throughout, and lyrics you likely won\u2019t hear anywhere else. I\u2019ve never been a fan of genres, but to help you out, one of the corporate category factories refers to Spiderbait\u2019s music as \u201cthrash pop,\u201d 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 listeners may be familiar\u2014fair warning.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cStraight Through the Sun\u201d is a hard driving, raging opener with strong tough percussion. Spiderbait\u2019s recognizable fuzzy pedal effects are immediately apparent, never quite subsumed by Kram\u2019s 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\u2019t think the song was recorded in a garage, however, Spiderbait shot the video for this song on a beach somewhere (methinks Australia, as that\u2019s the obvious supposition).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Beautiful\u201d (also released as a single) would seem a jarring change in tone, especially with English\u2019s lilting vocals, but is not a surprising choice given Spiderbait\u2019s 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<\/a> for this one tells the story quite nicely, and emphasizes that one\u2019s environment is less important than the company one keeps. The unofficial video<\/a> has a similar message, but is shot with a completely different style and different content.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMiss the Boat,\u201d continuing the\u00a0garage 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\u2019s down-and-dirty vocal styling nicely offset by English\u2019s syrupy sweetness. Some memorable lines include the first: \u201cI take pride in missin\u2019 the boat, I don\u2019t wanna be a sailor,\u201d and later, \u201cTake heed to what I say, don\u2019t go out in the water \/ Take pride in missin\u2019 the boat, you gotta climb your mountain with your own rope.\u201d With a running time of 5:13, not only is this tune the longest on the album, but it\u2019s 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\u2013drum sequence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSupersonic\u201d is another lilting song with English singing lead. It opens with a raw acoustic guitar lead-in followed by English\u2019s 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)\u2014all of this serves to accent and echo English\u2019s haunting vocals. We get a stronger understanding of just how much range English has on this song, more so than on \u201cIt\u2019s Beautiful.\u201d Kram plays aggressively on this one, but the percussion is muted perfectly so that it creates a sonic base for English, rather than competing.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s the Baseline,\u201d if for no other reason, appears to be in this exact spot on the album to make sure we don\u2019t forget that this is, after all, a f\u2014\u2014king 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\u2013esque 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\u2014this 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\u2019ve been driving in my car, and I can hear there\u2019s something missin\u2019 \u2014\u2014 oh where\u2019s the baseline? \/ You\u2019ve been low, you\u2019ve been high, you\u2019ve been preying on me all night.\u201d Gather your friends around, do some shots, and turn this mother up until your neighbors call the cops.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Not Your Slave\u201d 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\u2013soft\u2013hard pattern of the album, a trend that lasted an entire five songs. The lyrics on this one are pretty extraordinary (look \u2018em up).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Spiderbait_Band-2-1024x699\"<\/a>
Spiderbait\u2014Looking serious but probably laughing inside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cGet Bent\u201d is a ditty, that\u2019s the most apt description I can summon. Kram doesn\u2019t 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\u2014I’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).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat You Get,\u201d 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFreakazoid,\u201d is a heavy, slogging maniacal beast roaming through the woods and trying to kill everyone in sight. It\u2019s also instrumental\u2014sadly, most beasts are capable of neither speech nor song.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCrazy Pants (Rockstar for a Night)\u201d 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, \u201cRock Star.\u201d Just kidding\u2014it 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\u00a0while you have the locks changed on your habitat).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMars\u201d has lots of whispering in it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cReach for the Sky,\u201d in some sort of twisted trick, is a gem that the band hid near\u00a0the 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\u2019t.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sun Will Come Shining\u201d is a Go-Go\u2019s\u2013sounding tune with the same happy message, except with stronger musicianship all the way around. Hey, I love the Go-Go\u2019s as much as the next guy, but really, Kram can play him some mean drum, that\u2019s all I\u2019m saying.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGoodbye\u201d ties this opus together rather well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All in all, despite some early cynicism, I must\u00a0admit 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.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Spiderbait <\/em><\/strong>LP <\/strong>track list<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Straight Through The Sun 3:56<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s Beautiful 3:40<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Miss The Boat 5:13<\/p>\n

4. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Supersonic 4:33<\/p>\n

5. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Where\u2019s The Baseline 3:17<\/p>\n

6. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m Not Your Slave 3:13<\/p>\n

7. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Get Bent 3:01<\/p>\n

8. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What You Get 3:33<\/p>\n

9. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Freakazoid 1:38<\/p>\n

10. \u00a0 Crazy Pants (Rockstar For A Night) 3:40<\/p>\n

11. \u00a0 Mars 4:22<\/p>\n

12. \u00a0 Reach For The Sky 4:31<\/p>\n

13. \u00a0 The Sun Will Come Shining 2:37<\/p>\n

14. \u00a0 Goodbye 2:35<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Total track time 49:49<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Note: track times shown are from digital media, and may vary from those of other sources.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Players:<\/strong> Janet English\u2014vocals, bass; Mark Maher\u2014vocals, drums; Damian Whitty\u2014guitars.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Label:<\/strong> Universal Music Australia Pty Ltd. (Mercury label for physical CD and vinyl).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Production:<\/strong> All tracks except \u201cIt\u2019s Beautiful,\u201d \u201cWhere\u2019s the Baseline,\u201d and \u201cCrazy Pants\u201d composed by Janet English, Mark Maher, and Damian Whitty. \u201cIt\u2019s Beautiful\u201d and \u201cCrazy Pants\u201d composed by Janet English, Mark Maher, Francois Tetaz, and Damian Whitty. \u201cWhere\u2019s the Baseline\u201d composed by Janet English, Dann Hume, Mark Maher, and Damian Whitty. Mastered by Joe LaPorta.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Management:<\/strong> Fiona Duncan.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Booking:<\/strong> Owen Orford at New World Artists; http:\/\/www.newworldartists.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Other:<\/strong> Released November 2013. Additional band information available at\u00a0spiderbait.com.au<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s first album was titled using the band\u2019s name, i.e., eponymously. That\u2019s how we got Bread, Boston, [The] Chicago [Transit Authority], [Fresh] Cream, Supertramp, Buckingham Nicks . . . […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":476,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1,573],"tags":[915,916,920,918,900,922,917,919,921],"class_list":["post-10247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","category-music","tag-australia","tag-australian-music","tag-distortion","tag-gritty-music","tag-indie-music","tag-mousetraps","tag-new-albums","tag-reverb","tag-spiderbait"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":643,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/03\/29\/issue-32-music-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":10247,"position":0},"title":"issue 32 music reviews","author":"admin","date":"March 29, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Music Reviews for issue 32 (with one DVD review) by Vikkee Payge Tarantella Esqueletos This album is the band\u2019s first full-length album, and it\u2019s beautiful. 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He is a talented multi-instrumentalist, an especially gifted guitar\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/PRC-224-Ghost-Town-Cover-Art1-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1735,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2010\/01\/01\/sonic-youth-plays-hobsd-17\/","url_meta":{"origin":10247,"position":4},"title":"Sonic Youth plays HOBSD 1\/7","author":"Kent","date":"January 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Sonic Youth SurvivesAydin Guner In terms of their age, one could compare Sonic Youth to the dinosaurs, albeit with cool hairstyles and a knack for loud guitars. However, Sonic Youth actually survived the extinction. And there must be a reason for this. 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