- Release Info -------------------------------------------------------------- -
Artist: Spring Offensive
Album: Pull Us Apart
Label: Burning Building
Playtime: 40:49 min
Genre: Indie
URL:
Rip date: 2011-08-26
Street date: 2011-06-21
Size: 72.98 MB
Type: Normal
Quality: 236 kbps / 4410Hz / Joint Stereo
- Release Notes ------------------------------------------------------------- -
Spring Offensive is an Oxford-based indie quintet that developed a cult
following throughout the U.K. due to their poignant compositions and
insatiable touring appetite. With the support of Seattle indie label Burning
Building Records, Spring Offensive is now making its mark in the U.S. with the
June re-release of their melancholic debut Pull Us Apart, an album that casts
moody atmospheres by fusing elements of post- and math rock with creative and
imagery-laden storytelling. The result is an evocative eight-song debut that,
while occasionally lacking in instrumental ingenuity, will appeal to fans of
bands like This Town Needs Guns and Death Cab For Cutie.
ôI Found Myself Smilingö kicks off the album in haunting fashion and serves to
showcase the mood-setting ability of vocalist Lucas Whitworth. Above sparse
yet unsettling guitar plucking, he continuously repeats ôIf you want to find
your lover/I suggest you slide into the river/Like the rat that you areö in a
distressed, if not maniacal tone. However, as the song crescendos towards its
eventual climax, LucasÆ approach transcends into something more uplifting.
This back and forth is also present on ôEvery Coin,ö as the band explores the
case of a man forced to eat the contents of his wallet in a metaphorical quip
on societiesÆ obsession with material wealth. LucasÆ delivery, along with that
of guitarists Matt Cooper and Theo Whitworth, alternates from tense and
irritated in the verse to subdued and gentle in the chorus.
Spring Offensive deserves full marks for thinking outside the box and delving
into unorthodox lyrical themes. ôAbacus Rexö is about a crazed mathematician
going senile over his work, while ôSlow Divisionö is written from the
perspective of shipwrecked sailor sending his last message to shore. Even the
token love songs are written tastefully and creatively. In ôEverything Other
Than Thisö, Whitworth examines a toxic relationship and how it can blind the
combatants from other aspects of life. He eventually concludes that ôThis
unhealthy obsession is a means to our end/And all that IÆve broken IÆm
desperate to mend/IÆve lost sight of everyone and everything other than thisö
in a dramatic sequence that surges with passion and self-realization.
Unfortunately, the musicianship on Pull Us Apart fails to match the ambition
of its lyrical themes. The album contains a pleasant blend of twangy math rock
and atmospheric post rock, but Spring Offensive only scratches the surface of
each genre and fails to explore their nuances. The result is a sound that is
safe and secure, a concoction that wonÆt turn anyone off but certainly wonÆt
capture the minds of those looking for a band that is truly dynamic.
Thirteen-minute album closer ôThe First of Many Dreams About Monstersö pursues
a variety of different sounds and hopefully stands as a taste of whatÆs to
come, ultimately concluding in a beautiful arrangement of ambient guitar drone
and vocal harmonies.
While most bands attempt to capture emotion through cheap musical tricks and
banal lyrics, Spring Offensive is on track for something more with their
diverse lyrical content and earnest approach. Pull Us Apart is a promising
debut and songs like ôEvery Coinö and ôEverything Other Than Thisö are rousing
standouts despite a general lack of musical experimentation throughout the
album. If Spring Offensive becomes as confident in their musicianship as they
are in their lyrical expression, they could quickly find a place for
themselves among the indie rock elite.
Recommended If You Like
This Town Needs Guns; Interpol; Death Cab For Cutie
- Track List ---------------------------------------------------------------- -
01. I Found Myself Smiling ( 3:03)
02. Abacus Rex ( 3:42)
03. Every Coin ( 4:16)
04. The Cable Routine ( 5:00)
05. Everything Other Than This ( 4:24)
06. Slow Division ( 3:45)
07. Little Evening ( 3:17)
08. The First Of Many Dreams About Monsters (13:22)
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